New Life
by Lyndotia
Summary: After the deaths of their parents, two normal teenage girls move to San Francisco to live with their aunt, Elizabeth. But once they get there, their life becomes less normal by the minute, and they soon discover that they haven't even known who they are..
1. Getting Settled

Disclaimer: Neither Jordan nor I own Charmed.

A/N: Me: So we decided to branch out from Supernatural fanfics.

Jordan: Yes. Introducing our first CHARMED fic!

Me: We have a lot of it planned already, actually. XD So yeah. Stay tuned, I swear there'll be actual canon characters showing up in a little bit.

Jordan: And don't forget to review and let us know what you think!

Me: And as a totally awesome random bonus-type thing… read this chapter (and all future chapters) with pics as illustrations on the site we just made – freewebs dot com slash spnctfans – to which there is a real link in my profile. Since FF docs are jerks and won't let you use links.

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**Chapter One – Getting Settled**

San Francisco sure was _sunny_, Lyn had to give it that. But she still felt a twinge of homesickness as she looked out the window of the landing 747 at the bright landscape. Where were the woods and the creeks and the hills?

The seventeen-year-old Lyndotia Elumo wasn't one of those girls who had always dreamed of going to California and making it big in movies or anything. She had been perfectly happy at home, in Pierce, Tennessee – a small town right smack dab between Nashville and Chattanooga. She had had friends, a boyfriend, a part-time job; and after having skipped two grades, she was even in her freshman year of college. Her father managed a construction company, which was big money for their small town; and their mother cleaned the local church on Mondays and Thursdays. And though she was often at odds with her fourteen-year-old sister, Jordan, they were also the best friends in the world.

But that had been two weeks ago – a very long two weeks. Since then, everything had come crashing down. But no, Lyn had promised herself she wouldn't think of that…

As the flight attendant's voice reminded everyone to put up their trays and make sure their seat belts were secure, Lyn swallowed back a lump in her throat and looked over at the seat next to her. Jordan, a younger girl with wavy, dark brown hair like Lyn's, was lying back with headphones in her ears, singing along to a Led Zeppelin song under her breath. Lyn tugged one of the ear buds away and asked, "You ready?"

Jordan sighed. "As ready as I'll ever be, I guess." She pushed her tray up and fastened it before turning off her walkman and stuffing it in her carry-on bag, under the seat.

"God, I hate planes," she said to her sister, voice laced with fear as the airplane made its descent. And she did. The only time she'd ever been on a plane before had been when she was a toddler. All she could remember of it was the rougher-than-usual turbulence and her parents and sister trying to comfort her as she screamed and screamed.

"I know," Lyn said in a pretty feeble attempt at comfort, squeezing Jordan's hand reassuringly. "But we're almost there. And then what _should_ be the worst part will be over."

Lyn was attempting to joke, but as she met her sister's gaze, the green-with-black flecks of Lyn's eyes contrasting with the brown-with-gold flecks of Jordan's, it was plain to see that she was pretty much serious. Lyn hadn't exactly been happy with coming out here. She had thought that she had at least deserved some remnant of normalcy left to her after everything that had happened, but apparently that wasn't to be, either.

Jordan was gripping Lyn's hand and squeezing her eyes shut as the plane landed, the tires skidding across the hot runway as it gradually decreased speed. She breathed a sigh of relief and released her sister's hand when the plane finally reached the terminal. The fasten seatbelts light clicked off and a voice came over the loudspeaker: "Thank you for flying United International Airways. I hope you have enjoyed your flight and that you have a pleasant trip in sunny San Francisco."

"Okay… let's get out of this joint," Jordan said with a smirk. Thankfully, they had first class seats because, apparently, their aunt was freakishly rich. Who knew?

"This should be fun," Lyn muttered darkly as she and Jordan stood. "Trying to find Mom's sister in an airport the size of Pierce. What could possibly go wrong with this plan?"

Surprisingly, though, it wasn't so hard to locate Elizabeth Bern. Not only was she dressed in a shirt so bright that it was a wonder it hadn't blinded the pilots, she had bright, reddish brown hair (which Lyn knew for a fact was dyed, because her mother had often laughed about that); had ice blue eyes exactly like the girls' mother, Crystal; was nearly five ten and wearing four-inch heels; and was waving a bright red bag roughly the size of Jordan's backpack in the air while calling to them from twenty yards away.

Jordan's eyebrows shot up as she looked over at Lyn. "_That's_ our aunt!? She's… bright… and… heeled… and tall!" She slung her backpack over her shoulder and looked back to their aunt.

"Yes, that would be our dear Aunt Elizabeth," Lyn said, sounding a little shocked, herself. "Mom said she was eccentric. I guess she wasn't kidding. I feel… very underdressed, right now," she said with a rather forced chuckle, looking down at her old jeans and the Def Leppard tour shirt that had been her mother's.

"She sure is," Jordan agreed, her eyes wide as she stared at their aunt, who was still mercilessly beckoning them. "Well… let's go… before she pulls a muscle."

She started walking, Lyn right beside her.

"Oh, you two!" Elizabeth squealed as Jordan and Lyn came closer, slipping her handbag over her arm and hugging Lyn tightly. "Lyndotia! I haven't seen you since you were such a little girl!"

"It – it's Lyn," she managed to choke out, looking very uncomfortable – partially because she was being hugged by a woman she hadn't seen in fifteen years, but mostly because she could hardly breathe for the strength of her aunt's grip.

"And Jordan!" Elizabeth went on as if she hadn't heard Lyn at all, releasing the older girl and pulling Jordan into a bone-crushing hug. "Your mom sent me so many pictures of you two!"

"Hi – Aunt – Eliza – beth," Jordan coughed out.

"Oh, call me Lizzie, dear!" the older woman said brightly as she finally released her niece. Then her face became more serious – or as serious as it could get, considering what she was wearing – as she said quietly, "I'm so sorry about your parents, girls. But Cryssie always loved it here, I'm sure you two will, too."

Lyn's smile faded into an emotionless mask, and her green eyes shifted to the left, avoiding her aunt's gaze. "Yeah, I'm sure," she murmured quietly.

Jordan swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thanks… Aunt – Lizzie… Can we go home, please? I've got jetlag, and I'm sure Lyn does, too…"

Lyn just nodded in agreement, and Lizzie nodded, too, as if to say she understood. "All right, then – let's go wait for your luggage, shall we? Then you can follow me to the car. And don't get separated! I'd have a devil of a time finding you in this crowd…"

_We'd be able to find you perfectly fine,_ Lyn thought darkly as she followed her aunt toward luggage claim. A voice in the back of her head berated her, then, for taking her feelings out on her aunt. Lizzie had been amazingly generous to invite two nieces she barely even knew existed to live with her in San Francisco. It wasn't her fault, everything that had happened… not that that made it any more bearable.

* * *

"Wow…" That was all Jordan could say as she stepped out of her aunt's Lincoln Towncar and looked up at the huge house in front of her. It stood tall at three floors, had a round driveway and was surrounded by plants which all looked very well-kept, and an amazingly shiny chandelier that glowed through the front window above the door.

The blank expression that Lyn had been wearing since the mention of her parents had suddenly switched to one of pure shock. Her eyes were wide as she drawled, "What in the name of Gene and Roy!? Aunt Lizzie, you – you _live_ here!?"

Lizzie chuckled, but looked surprised, anyway. "Cryssie really never told you? About anyth – any of this?"

"Definitely NOT! Wow… Hey, Lyn, where's your car!?" Jordan asked, turning around to face her sister.

"Good question," Lyn said quietly, slipping back into passive mode. A few weeks ago, she might have made some joke about 'Dude, where's my car?' – but that part of her personality seemed to have buried with her parents. "Aunt Lizzie? Did my car come yet?"

"Oh, yes, that!" Lizzie said, suddenly beaming again. "Wait till I show you – come, come, follow me!"

Jordan looked to Lyn and then to Lizzie. "Whatevs…" She grabbed Lyn's hand and dragged her after their aunt.

"Where are we going?" Lyn asked, trying not to grimace as Jordan nearly yanked her shoulder out of socket and then she nearly tripped.

"To the garage," Lizzie announced without turning around. "It's not far – I know you'll love it!"

"Love _what_, exactly?" Lyn asked suspiciously.

"You'll see!" was all Lizzie would say.

Jordan grinned. "Ooh… intrigue," she said in a voice that only Lyn could hear.

"Here we are!" Lizzie announced, tapping in a passcode the numeric lock of the double doors she had just stopped in front of. She was then able to pull them open, but inside the building was dark. She stepped inside, as Jordan and Lyn lingered tentatively on the doorstep, and then… the lights came on. A whole, long row of them at once, illuminating a garage that was roughly the size of most parking garages. It was mostly empty, but there at the front of the floor was Lyn's 1995 purple Grand Am – and right behind that, a bright blue BMW convertible. Lyn was happy to see her car, not noticing anything else, but Jordan gaped at the BMW.

"Holy… crap." Jordan stared, wide-eyed, at the car, and then smacked Lyn's arm.

"What?" Lyn demanded before following Jordan's gaze to the other car. Then her eyes went round as silver dollars, too. "Whoa. Nice car, Aunt Lizzie."

Lizzie's face looked ten years younger as she practically danced on the spot and grinned broadly. "I'm glad you like it – I bought it for you!"

Lyn went from awe to disbelief in two seconds flat. "For – are you serious!?"

Jordan squealed and practically skipped up to the BMW, running her hand along the side and jumping in. She landed in the driver's seat and grinned up at Lyn and Lizzie.

"Of course I'm serious!" Lizzie said, squeezing Lyn in a quick hug. "Cryssie told me you always wanted a blue car – do you like it!?"

"It – Aunt Lizzie – I can't let you buy me a car like this! It's too much!" Lyn half gasped, still gazing at the car as if she had never seen anything quite like it.

"Oh, come on, Lyn! It's a present! Accept it! Please!" Jordan started literally begging Lyn, secretly crossing her fingers.

"But I have a car," Lyn objected feebly. "And it – I mean, this car, Aunt Lizzie –"

"It's a welcome to San Francisco present," Lizzie finished for her. "I know you like it, I can see it in your eyes. I bought it for you, it's already paid for, you might as well take it."

Jordan looked expectantly at her sister. _Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes,_ she thought to herself.

Lyn looked from the car to Jordan to Lizzie, and she knew she was already defeated. She felt rather like she had the time her boyfriend's aunt had tried to give her a gold bracelet – but neither Lizzie or Jordan would be discouraged that easily, and she knew that.

She bit back a sigh, relaxed the crease between her brows, and said slowly, "All right…"

Lizzie was suddenly grinning so broadly that she looked like the Cheshire cat, and she threw her arms around Lyn before stepping back and bouncing on the spot, hands clenched together like she was trying very hard not to clap.

"Yes!" Jordan yelled, grinning and resting her hands on the steering wheel. "In two years, I am so driving this baby!"

"Yeah, right," Lyn said, letting out a scoff that was supposed to be a chuckle. Somehow she couldn't manage to laugh properly, any more. "I won't let you drive my _old_ car. Why in heaven's name would I let you touch one that costs more than my life is worth?"

"Oh, don't say that," Lizzie said, cringing as if the simple statement were horrible. Then she winked at Jordan and said, "Don't worry. When you turn sixteen, I'll buy you your _own_ car."

Jordan's eyes went wide and she stuck her tongue out at Lyn. Her retort wasn't even out of her mouth before they were interrupted by a doorbell. She blinked at Lizzie. "You… have a doorbell in your garage?"

Lizzie laughed. "Why, there's a speaker in every room, of course. How would we know that there was someone at the door if there wasn't one?"

"This place is about the size of your average museum," Lyn agreed, looking around the huge garage.

"Riiight… So. Are we gonna answer it?" Jordan asked, getting out of the car and starting towards the front door. Once there, she stood stock still as she came face-to-face with a living, breathing Adonis.

Lyn trailed behind Jordan and appeared at her side a second later, and even she froze as she caught sight of the guy in the doorway. He stood at least 6'3", his eyes a light blue, his hair brown and his body muscular. The kind of muscles you can only get from physical labor.

"Um… hi?" Jordan managed to squeak out.

"Oh, hello, dear," Lizzie said to the dark-haired guy in that same perfectly happy voice, making Lyn jump because the voice came from right behind her ear and she hadn't heard her aunt approach. "I'm glad to see you're on time. That's good, it proves that the agency was right and you're responsible, even though you are young."

Lyn blinked and looked from the gorgeous guy in the doorway to Lizzie, confused. Lizzie caught the look on her face and laughed. She seemed to do a lot of that. "Oh, right, girls – this young gentleman would be the new gardener – I'm sorry, dear, I forget your name – and these two young ladies are my nieces – the taller one is Lyn, and the one who is forgetting her manners and staring is Jordan."

Lyn's lip twitched into a sort of half smirk at that, and she shot Jordan a sideways look. Ordinarily, she probably would have laughed and maybe poked her sister in the side and made some sort of comment, but these days a half smirk was actually a pretty enthusiastic emotion for her.

"Hey… uh, I'm here to garden? You called me?" he said, looking from Jordan to Lyn and then to Lizzie.

"Yes, poor Anthony's wife came down with some sort of rare cancer and he left to take her to a specialist in Chicago yesterday," Lizzie said, her voice still a little too cheerful for such a subject. "If you could start with those azaleas over there…"

That was when Lyn tuned out, gaze shifting out of focus as she thought of Lizzie and the blue BMW – she still couldn't quite seem to think of it as _her_ car – and how very different things would be here. _I don't want everything to change,_ she thought sadly, unconsciously crossing her arms and wrapping her long hands around her upper arms protectively. _I just want to go back to two weeks ago…_

"Lyndotia?"

Someone saying her name brought out of her reverie. She blinked and her gaze focused before locking on Lizzie right before a crease appeared between her eyebrows. "Please don't call me that," she said and, miraculously, she kept her exasperation out of her voice.

"I was just asking if you were cold, dear," Lizzie explained slowly, looking at the way the seventeen-year-old had crossed her arms. Obviously, she read it to mean Lyn had felt a chill. Yeah, sure; but not the kind she was thinking of.

"I'm fine," Lyn answered shortly, uncrossing her arms, but when they fell to her sides, her fists were clenched. "Just… thinking, is all."

"Will do, ma'am," the gardener said suddenly, as if no time at all had passed between his receiving instructions from Lizzie and what he was saying now. And with that, he grabbed his bucket full of gardening tools and went over to the aforementioned azaleas. Jordan noticed Lyn's quickly changing emotions and said, "Aunt Lizzie, do you mind if me and Lyn go upstairs for a nap? I can tell she's tired, and I know I sure am."

Unbeknownst to the two girls, the gardener was listening in on their conversation with curiosity.

"Yes, all right, dear," Lizzie said, and there was just the tiniest hint in her eyes that she knew neither of them was really all that tired. "The third floor is all yours – there's a bedroom to your right and one to your left when you reach the top of the stairs. I suppose you two will want to pick which is yours when you get there. I'll just excuse myself to the kitchen, I could use something to keep my blood sugar from dropping any more…"

When she was safely out of earshot, Lyn sighed and looked sideways at Jordan. "I suppose you're gonna tell me to stop repressing before I kill somebody or some sort of bull like that, aren't you?"

"Screw that crap… Repress all you want, just don't take it out on Lizzie. She took us in, Lyn. She didn't need to, but she did, and she wanted to. She doesn't deserve to be treated the way you're treating her. I mean, hell, she bought you a BMW, for God's sake! I'm not saying forget about Mom and Dad, just accept Lizzie, too. Okay?" she asked as they made their way up the steps to the third floor.

"I didn't need her to," Lyn said quietly, her eyes darkening slightly with her emotions; but, then again, they were always dark, these days. They hadn't been bright with life or pale with trepidation or fiery with anger or resolve for weeks; always dark, only dark. "Maybe I'm just seventeen, but I've already done a year of college, for heaven's sake. I could've filed to be legally recognized as an adult. I could've gotten a job, they would've hired me at Dad's company and probably paid me more than most of the men who work there. And then we could have stayed _home_ and I'd still have my own car and Mark and Ella and Kate…"

She swallowed hard. Her throat was starting to feel raw from this constant pushing back of the burning and constricting, but it just wasn't fair; and even though she knew in her heart that Lizzie was indeed doing what was best for herself and Jordan… she couldn't understand how it was fair or right that she should lose everything she had left, too.

"Lyn, I can see where this is going. Let's not fight, okay? We've already lost so much, and I don't wanna lose you, too. Let's find our rooms… Oh, dear God!" she exclaimed quietly as she looked around at the hugeness of the third floor. She noticed both their suitcases sitting in the middle of what seemed to be the biggest room of this floor as well as the only semblance of a hall, complete with a big-screen TV, cough, and mini-fridge. "Nice…"

Next, Jordan walked into the nearest room, the one on the right, and what she saw almost knocked her off her feet. Literally. A chandelier hung over a four-poster canopy bed; two dressers and a full-length mirror made up the room, along with a vanity and closet. The theme of the room seemed to be purple of all shades. "Hey, Lyn – purple room!" She knew that Lyn loved purple and would be all over this room.

Lyn walked in and her eyebrows shot up high. Her gaze moved efficiently from the ceiling down, taking it all in. It was actually pretty amusing, and it _was_ cool. But she could only manage a faint smile as she murmured, "What do you wanna bet Lizzie had this all done because Mom told her my favorite color…?"

Jordan grinned. "Let's hope my room's blue, then."

She ran back to the room which lay across the main room and, upon entering it, yelled, "Yes! Score!" She returned to the living room and grabbed her multicolored bags, pulling them into the room, and managing to bring them all in after two trips. She finally looked around, taking in the entirety of the room. The walls were painted a light baby blue and the carpet was white, as well as the furniture. She, too, had a closet, and three dressers instead of Lyn's two, a vanity, and a full-length mirror. The whole shebang was topped off with a chandelier just like the one in Lyn's room.

Lyn's smile twitched at Jordan's enthusiasm as she followed her sister into the other room. "Look at that, she even knew you had more clothes. Have fun getting all those situated." And she actually nudged the elated Jordan in the side with her elbow before returning to the main room. Jordan grinned as she watched Lyn somehow grasp the straps of all four of her neatly matched, dark purple suitcases and haul them into the other room. Yeah, Lyn would take some adjusting time, but she would be okay.

But, at the moment, they just both needed a nap.

* * *

_Everything was dark. It wasn't complete darkness, by any means; there was moonlight streaming through small gaps in the curtains of the room. It was then that Lyn realized that the light was coming from the wrong direction. She was in Jordan's room? How odd, she distinctly remembered giving in to her lethargy around seven o'clock and lying down on the bed in her new purple room… She hadn't been sleepwalking again, had she!?_

_It was when she tried to turn around that she realized she wasn't sleepwalking at all. She was dreaming. Well, for a dream, it wasn't bad. At least no one had died… yet. That thought was far from comforting, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Why was she dreaming about Jordan's room, though? She had only ever seen it once; she had barely even recognized it, at first._

_Then lightning forked across the sky and there was a loud crack, sounding very close by, followed by a dull thud that Lyn distinctly recognized as a tree falling; she had heard it often in the woods behind her house in Pierce. At that moment, one of the curtains shivered a the breeze, and Lyn's attention was drawn to it – or, more specifically, to what was on the other side of it. There was someone outside the window, a man with short hair and an expression that made Lyn certain he could have no good intentions. But how could he be outside the window, anyway!? They were on the third floor!_

_As he began to climb through the window, Lyn tried to yell, to warn Jordan to wake up, but as usual in dreams when you're scared, she couldn't seem to find her throat, much less make her voice work. There was a snarl-like expression on the man's face as he finally stood upright inside the room. There was another flash of lightning, and another loud crack a little further in the distance, but no falling tree this time; and Lyn was confused suddenly. She had never seen this man before, so how could she be dreaming about him? This was making less and less sense all the time…_

_And she knew she had definitely been watching too many bad scifi movies when the man held up his hand and a ball of flame suddenly appeared in his palm. Yet a thrill of very real fear gripped her as the faint hissing sound made Jordan shift; apparently she wasn't as deeply asleep as Lyn had thought. The fourteen-year-old in the bed opened her eyes and they went wide as she caught sight of the strange man in her room._

"_W-who are you!?" Jordan demanded in a fierce whisper._

"_What does that matter, witch?" the man growled in a gravelly voice that made Lyn's blood run cold. "You're about to die."_

_Jordan opened her mouth, and Lyn knew she was going to scream, but the man was faster. He suddenly threw his hand forward, and there was an indescribable swooshing sound as the ball of fire in his palm shot forward. The horrible blasting sound as it came into contact with Jordan's chest, though, was definitely something that would stick in Lyn's head no matter how hard she tried to get it out. And that look, the look on Jordan's face as her voice died in her throat and the light left her eyes and she fell backward onto her pillow, eyes glassy and staring…_

Lyn sat straight up in bed with a gasp, her eyes snapping open in fear and anguish… and found the glow of the late afternoon sun dancing through the windows of her new purple room. It wasn't even night, and of course random men didn't climb into third story windows, conjure fireballs out of nowhere, and kill people with them. It was ludicrous, and the more she sat there, the more she rationalized. But yet she couldn't shake the fear.

Heaving a sigh, Lyn closed her eyes for a moment and then got up. She was overreacting to a silly dream; it was obviously nothing. However, her gaze flickered automatically to the window – and for one heart-stopping second, she was almost certain that she saw something there. Probably she was just jumpy, but she almost ran to the window, anyway. She didn't know what she had expected to see, but she was definitely relieved when there was no one in sight – well, except for the gardener from earlier, who was digging around in a flower bed three stories below.

Slightly annoyed at herself for still feeling so freaked over a simple dream, Lyn glanced at her the time readout on her cell phone – which was purple, like her room, with a mirrored face that hid a backlit screen behind it. Eight thirty-four. She had slept for an hour and a half!? Oh, great, now she would _never_ get to sleep tonight…

Lyn had to give Jordan one thing – she could sleep any time she wanted. Usually quite a bit more than Lyn wanted her to. This was only proven when Lyn padded barefoot through the living room to peek into her sister's room and found Jordan sprawled out with a pillow over her head to block out the light, probably because she had been too lazy to get up and close the curtains. She was quite obviously still asleep. Lyn debated waking her up – just to hear her voice more than anything, though she rationalized that she should probably not let her sleep now or she would never get her internal clock set properly again – but walked back into the third floor living room.

Another thing that Lizzie had seemed to know ahead of time was that Lyn had a strong love for caffeine, and had taken the liberty of stocking the mini fridge with a good supply of sweet tea, the likes of which one had to brew oneself out in California because the people out here didn't drink it like that. Lyn was grateful for that, especially now, because she felt like she could use some caffeine; it might calm her down a little.

After getting a drink and finding that she had no desire at all to turn on the huge TV, Lyn reluctantly returned to her room. There wasn't anything else she wanted to do, anyway. Tomorrow, she would unpack her things and send emails to her friends, to let them know she had arrived all right and she missed them horribly. Of course, she probably wouldn't add 'horribly,' but it was true.

For the moment, Lyn settled on opening the huge suitcase that was full of books – her lifeline, a lot of times like now when she couldn't make her mind settle down. She didn't pay much attention to what she was picking up, because she had only brought books she liked; just pulled one out and sat down cross-legged in the middle of her new bed, holding the hardback volume in her lap, and began to read.

If she hadn't been so preoccupied, she might have noticed a familiar set of blue eyes peering over the windowsill, brows furrowed with an unreadable expression.


	2. We're What?

Disclaimer: Neither Jordan nor I own Charmed.

A/N: Me: So chap two! Still no canons in sight… sorry about that.

Jordan: BUT THEY SHALL APPEAR, WE SWEAR!

Me: Yes. Though somehow these chaps are ending up a lot longer than we plan them. XD

Jordan: True. So please review?

* * *

**Chapter Two – We're What!?**

Lyn had been up for two hours already, and it was dead boring. There wasn't anything on TV back home at six AM, and there definitely wasn't anything she wanted to watch on TV in California at that time. It was all surfing competitions and fashion updates and a million other things that didn't interest Lyn in the least. Well, surfing itself was pretty cool, but watching a bunch of wannabes talking smack and wiping out wasn't her idea of a good time.

Finally she gave up on trying to find something to do by herself and went to Jordan's room. Of course, it wasn't smart to poke a sleeping dragon in the eye, as the old saying went, but at the moment Lyn would welcome anything to break the monotony. Even if that something was running for her life from a ticked-off Jordan.

"Morning!" Lyn said in a would-be cheery voice as she threw back the curtains in Jordan's room and then plopped down on the side of the bed. "Time to get up and kill some daylight, JJ."

"Walk away or I'm gonna kill _you_… slowly," Jordan muttered into the pillow, moving to kick any part of Lyn she could reach without moving from her spot.

"Come on, seriously," Lyn said, shoving her sister in the shoulder. "You've been asleep for thirteen hours or something!"

"I'm gonna work for twenty-four and you're standing in my way!" Jordan grumbled, finally hitting her mark and kicking Lyn in the stomach. Not hard, mind you, but hard enough to make her point known.

"You can sleep for twenty-four hours some weekend this fall when I've been to college and know somebody else to bug," Lyn shot back, whacking Jordan upside the head in penance for the kick that had hit home. "Anyway, we have to unpack stuff! Seriously, move before I go get a bottle of water out of the fridge in there and pour it over your head!"

"You… SUCK!" Jordan shot back at Lyn, getting up and succeeding in accidentally pushing Lyn off the bed and onto the floor. "Whoopsies!" she said, and then ran away, knowing that Lyn would want to get her back for it. She ran downstairs, looking for Lizzie, not even noticing a new presence in the house.

"Jordan – Jane – Elumo," Lyn growled, stomping downstairs with her hair half fallen out of the clip she had put it in earlier, still dressed in the white camisole and short blue gym shorts that served as her pajamas. "If you don't get back here _right now_, you are so getting worms and roly polies in your bed for this…"

"NO! It was just an accident!" Jordan yelled from behind the couch in the first-floor living room.

James's attention was caught as he heard the girls yelling at each other, and he walked out of the kitchen and leaned against the living room wall, just out of eyeshot.

"Oh?" Lyn hissed as she marched into the room with eyes narrowed. "So then was it an accident that you kicked me, too? You just having random muscle spasms, is that it?"

"Sure – let's go with that!" Jordan yelled back, crawling across the floor quickly, trying to get to the TV, where she could hide.

James smirked at their antics and crossed his arms, watching Lyn look around.

"You are the worst liar in the history of the freaking world, you know that?" Lyn demanded, walking over to the couch and glaring at Jordan over it. "And you really should learn not to, oh, I dunno – _talk_ – if you're trying to hide from somebody."

"It was eight o'clock! I wouldn't have had to kick you and _accidentally_ push you off the bed if you hadn't woken me up! Such a temper on you, big sis…" She grinned innocently, getting up and backing away toward the kitchen, also still wearing _her_ pajamas – a pair of short blue Soffee shorts and a black tank top.

James's smirk widened and his right eyebrow shot up as he saw Lyn's murderous glance.

"That's eleven o'clock at home!" Lyn said exasperatedly, throwing her arms in the air. "I mean, for heaven's sake, you slept for _thirteen hours_! _Who sleeps for thirteen hours_!?"

And it was then that she turned to continue her following of Jordan around the house and saw someone leaning against the wall next to the kitchen door – the good-looking gardener from yesterday! A bright red crept up onto her high cheekbones and her gaze flickered from said guy to Jordan and back again. "Uh… yeah… er… Hi… So, um, JJ… You might wanna turn around…"

"Why? So you can attack me? I don't –"

"Hi, girls," James said, grinning and cutting Jordan's rant short.

Jordan turned around quickly, coming face-to-face with the gardener. "Er, hi… James… er – gardener man? Dude?"

James chuckled. "You can call me James. So what's this about?" he asked, gesturing from Lyn to Jordan.

"Nothing," Lyn said darkly before switching her gaze back to Jordan and forcing a sarcastic smile. "Or nothing that could be done in front of potential witnesses, anyway, which, I'm sure, is what you're counting on. Not that that'll stop me from continuing this _discussion_ later, so bear that in mind before you go hiding behind gardener boy or Lizzie or anybody." Her eyes flashed with a spark of true humor for a second as she added in a whisper, "I know where you sleep."

Jordan glared at Lyn. "Drama queen…" She rolled her eyes and a spark of realization hit her. "So… James. What are you doing in the house? Not that it's like a big… uh… never mind. So what are you doing?" She turned bright red and looked to Lyn.

"Psh, like I _want_ to chase you around this maze of a house and threaten your life," Lyn said, shaking her head. "It's not my fault you can't remember your manners and just apologize so you run off like a chicken with its head cut off. Anyway, it's not like there's anything more interesting to do. How I'm supposed to keep from going crazy until fall, I'll never know."

"Riiight… Well, Lyn, I think it's time we unpacked, huh? Yeah…" Jordan switched her gaze to Lyn.

"Oh, that's fine," James said, looking from Jordan to Lyn. "Your aunt asked me to watch you guys for the day. She's out doing stuff, she said not to let you out of my sight, so I guess I'll just sit in you guys' living room while you unpack."

Lyn went from passive to outraged in half a second. "_What_!?" she demanded, glaring incredulously at James. "Are you freaking serious!? She got a _babysitter_!?"

"'Fraid so. She said you would probably react this way…" he murmured, looking slightly afraid.

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Ugh… whatever. Lyn, it isn't a big deal… He can just hang out while we unpack."

When Lyn's gaze switched to Jordan, she looked like she couldn't believe what she was hearing. But she nodded slowly and switched gears again, her eyes darkening further and emptying of emotion. "Yeah, you're right," she said in a low, toneless voice. "It's not a big deal at all. She just drags us across the entire dadgum country, takes us away from everything and everybody so she can act like she's Mom and we're five years old. Obviously not important at all. So let's just go unpack and then I can go sit where the babysitter can watch me and wait for my birthday, when I can actually have my own life again."

Her lips twitched upward feebly in a sad attempt at forcing a smile before she turned on her heel and walked back toward the stairs.

Jordan huffed out a breath. "Sorry about her… She's more… _out there_ about her feelings."

"It's fine – I understand where she's coming from. I was the same way when _my_ parents died," James said.

"Your…" Jordan's face fell. "I'm sorry."

James smiled. "It's okay. It was a few years ago. Thanks, though." He looked towards where Lyn had walked away and asked, "So what do you say we go do some unpacking?"

Jordan smiled. "Yeah, good idea."

He smiled back at her. "So, do either of you need any help?"

"Well… I'm sure Lyn would most likely cut your head off if you tried to ask her that… But I have one more suitcase extra…?" she said, her voice hopeful, as she walked up the stairs.

James laughed. "I'll help you."

"Thanks," Jordan replied.

Lyn closed the door with a snap as soon as she was in her room and leaned back against it. _Why_ did everybody have to keep treating her like she was a porcelain doll that was about to break!? Lizzie didn't know her, didn't know anything about her! What, did she think Lyn couldn't take care of herself? That she was going to lose it and break down because she wasn't dealing with losing her parents? And treating her like a child was supposed to fix that?

Letting out a long, heavy breath, Lyn crossed the room and unzipped the nearest suitcase. Clothes, naturally. She didn't have that many, and most of the ones she did have were second-hand. But that was perfectly fine with her, because she didn't go for flashy things, anyway. Well, usually. She had let Jordan and Lizzie talk her into accepting that car, though, and that was definitely flashy…

She needed something to wear, anyway, though; she certainly wasn't going to walk around all day in her pajamas. Lyn sighed and grabbed her favorite jeans and a random t-shirt, which happened to be a green one from the book drive she had worked at the community college last year. And as she changed, she was forcibly reminded of how her mom had smiled and said it went perfectly with her eyes.

Trying to ignore that memory, Lyn removed the clip from her hair and shook it down her back in slightly tangled waves. Tossing the clip onto the vanity and pulling open one of the dresser drawers, she began folding t-shirts into it. Currently, it was taking all her effort not to pick up the nearest solid object and throw it at the nearest solid wall.

Why did everyone think she was so helpless and weak, anyway!? She had always managed to take care of herself, she was responsible and quick-thinking and mature… Well, she was usually mature. That little stunt downstairs had been pretty _immature_, though. But why could Lizzie possibly think that a seventeen-year-old needed someone to watch her!? And why in heaven's name would the woman hire a _gardener_, of all people, for the job? It was ridiculous! Why couldn't they all just back off and leave her alone!?

Sighing, she all but threw the last t-shirt into the drawer, slammed it shut, and fell back onto the bed with her eyes already closed. She didn't want to think about it any more, any of it. She just wanted everyone to leave her alone and for everything that had happened in the past two weeks to just _go away_.

Jordan walked to Lyn's room and knocked on the door. There was so answer, so naturally (being a little sister) she just opened it, anyway. "Hey, Lyn – uh… Lyn? Did you… leave…?" She wrinkled her brow and looked around. "That's weird. I could've sworn she was in here," she muttered to herself.

Lyn finally opened her eyes and stared at Jordan incredulously. Her eyebrows furrowed and she crossed her arms in an annoyed sort of way. "What, I walked off so now you're ignoring me?"

Jordan's eyes went wide. "Where are you!? I could've sworn you weren't in here! Are you behind the bed or something…?" Jordan walked over to the bed, but there was no sign of Lyn. Her eyebrows shot up and she knelt down, looking under the bed. "Okay… you're starting to freak me out now, Lyn…"

"Are you blind!?" Lyn demanded, sitting up and glaring. "I'm right here!"

Jordan peered up over the bed and yelped in surprise, falling backward onto the ground. "Oh, my God! You weren't there a second ago!" she yelled at Lyn, her eyes wide.

James ran into the room a second later. "Are you okay!? I heard yelling!"

Lyn looked from Jordan to James and then back again, her expression a cross between confusion and frustration. "What the crap are you – look, Jordan, if you're just trying to mess with my head or annoy me, knock it off, already. It's not funny, and it hasn't been funny since you were three."

"Lyn… seriously. I'm not trying to mess with you! You weren't there one second, just your voice, and then you were!" Jordan yelled at Lyn, her voice shaking.

James's eyebrows shot up, and his eyes went wide with realization. "Since you guys are okay, I'm gonna go make a phone call…"

He walked out of the room and then almost ran down the stairs, grabbing the phone and calling Lizzie's cell.

"Hello?" her voice answered, sounding a little less chipper than usual. "James, is that you? Is something wrong?"

"It's Lyn," he answered, looking back toward the stairs. "It's happened."

"What happened?" Lizzie asked quickly. "Is she okay? Did they figure it out?"

"All I heard was the yelling, but Jordan said something about Lyn not being there one minute and being there the next. Lyn just thinks Jordan's trying to annoy her, and Jordan thinks Lyn's trying to freak her out. As far as I know, Lyn's okay, just annoyed at Jordan."

"Invisibility," Lizzie breathed. "That makes sense, their father had that power. What about Jordan? Has she shown any signs?"

"Not yet, but if Lyn's already manifesting invisibility, it's to be expected that Jordan will show something soon, too. They're pretty linked."

"Of course they are – all they have left is each other." There was a short pause before Lizzie asked, "Best not to make anything of it, I suppose? At least not until Jordan comes into her power?"

"I'll keep an eye on them both," he assured her, then heard footsteps. "Gotta go."

"All right – just watch out for them."

"Whatever, Jordan," Lyn called exasperatedly as she came down the stairs. Then she caught sight of James and said, "You, babysitter dude. I _am_ allowed to find food, assuming I can locate any in this place, correct?"

James set the phone back on the receiver. "Go for it. Hey, can I talk to you?"

Jordan flopped down onto her bed and sighed. She sighed so much that she and Lyn could stop fighting, that Lyn would just talk to her about what Jordan knew she was feeling herself. Sometimes, like now, she wished she was someone else – hell, even some_thing_ else. All of a sudden, she felt dizzy, fell off the bed, and her body started to hurt. She opened her mouth to scream but, much to her surprise, she whinnied instead.

Lyn's head jerked back toward the stairs, brow furrowed and eyes uncertain. What in the world was that _sound_…? "Jordan?" she called, ignoring James's question and starting back up the stairs. "What was that…?"

James followed Lyn. "What?"

Jordan caught a glimpse of herself in her mirror on the wall and whinnied again. _I'm a horse!? What the – okay. I guess I'm taking all this harder than I thought. This must be a really weird dream with a cryptic meaning…_ she thought to herself.

"You didn't hear that?" Lyn asked, shooting James a sideways look as she started up the second flight of stairs, going faster, now. Why was she freaking out, anyway? Had that stupid dream really put her so on edge? And why did there have to be three stupid floors to this stupid house, anyway!? This wasn't even similar to the dream, and yet something was still making her afraid, making her feel that something was wrong…

"I heard it that time…" _Oh, boy… They're gonna freak out!_

Jordan heard footsteps on the stairs and started to lose it. _They can't see me like this! Where can I hide…!?_

She trotted to the other side of her bed and knelt down, bowing her head so that she was completely blocked from view by her gigantic bed.

"JJ?" Lyn called as she reached the head of the stairs. "Jordan…?" She was nowhere to be seen in the main room, and Lyn was half running by the time she made it to Jordan's bedroom door. "Where are you?"

James walked into Jordan's room and caught a glimpse of an ear. An animal ear, sticking about an inch over the bed. "Uh, Lyn? Over there," he said, pointing toward the bed.

Jordan's heart stopped. _Damn that gorgeous gardener…_ she grumbled to herself.

Lyn had taken three steps into the room when she stopped dead. Her expression was rather appropriate to having been clubbed in the head as she stared at the brown mustang crouched by the side of Jordan's bed. She closed her eyes for a second and opened them again, convinced that it would go away, but… it didn't. Two more long blinks, but still the horse was there, and her eyes went wide.

_O…kay… I… have officially… lost… my mind…_ Her mind was still so confused that her words were almost unintelligible and her voice half disbelieving, half frightened at the prospect that she might be going insane as she said out loud, "Holyfreakingcrap, there's a horse in a third-story room."

James stared at the horse for a second before looking to Lyn. "That's… Jordan."

Jordan stood up and walked slowly over to Lyn and James. She bobbed her head up and down, attempting to nod. _God, please let me turn back into a human!_ As soon as she thought the words, her body seized up and started to hurt again as she felt herself falling to the ground.

"Ow…" she muttered to herself, then, upon realizing that she was human again, she looked up to Lyn and James. "That… was weird…"

"You okay?" James asked Jordan, helping her to her feet.

Lyn was staring at them both, her expression frozen in shock. Finally she raised a shaking finger to point at Jordan and began, "You – you were – but you can't have been – but you –" she switched to pointing at James and stammered, "You – you said – and you saw – and you _knew_!?"

"Yes. I know. Let's wait until your aunt gets home to explain all of this. Excuse me…" He walked out of the room so suddenly that the girls didn't have time to object.

"That was really weird…" Jordan said, looking at Lyn.

James walked quickly down the stairs to the kitchen, grabbing the phone and, once again, calling Lizzie.

This time Lizzie answered with a simple but mildly concerned, "Jordan?"

"Turned into a horse," James replied, trying to ignore the sound of the girls shouting indistinctly from two floors above.

"Oh, dear. I don't imagine there's any way _that_ went unnoticed."

"Lyn freaked out; Jordan did, too. I think they both know _something's_ up. And they want answers."

"You can't really blame them. Just try to keep them calm and don't let them kill you. I'll be back in twenty, thirty minutes, tops."

"Okay," he agreed before hanging up the phone and walking back upstairs, back to Jordan's room.

"Oh! Look who's back! The disappearing man, who runs away every time something strange happens! Care to explain!?" Jordan demanded, trying hard not to freak out on him.

"That whole thing earlier, where Jordan couldn't see me!" Lyn accused, and for once her green eyes weren't dark; they were aglow with the fire they had been lacking for the past two weeks as she took a step toward him, glaring fiercely and looking like she was about to hit him. "You ran off then, too, and you weren't even curious or looking like you thought we were crazy, which you _should've_ been! And this weird stuff, none of it happened before we came here, so what the crap did y'all do to us!?"

"We didn't do anything to either of you," James said, leaning against the doorframe. "Your aunt's going to be home in twenty minutes, thirty tops. I'm not the one who should tell you both what's happening."

Jordan glared daggers into James's head. "Well, isn't he the King of Intrigue. I have to say, you've got _me_ interested. You, Lyn?"

"Something like that," Lyn growled. "But you're wrong about one thing, hon. You _had_ better tell us whatever the crap's going on or else I'm gonna beat your freaking face in."

"Sorry, can't do that," James said, crossing his arms.

Jordan, who had been concentrating on not _completely_ freaking out, started walking toward James. "So help me God, if you don't tell us… _now_, I'm going to hit you so hard that you'll forget your own name."

James's eyebrows shot up. "I'm not scared of you."

"Fine – don't be scared," Lyn hissed in a dangerously low voice, her eyes fierce as her voice. "It's pretty irrelevant. See, it only matters if you're scared if we just intend to _intimidate_ you. But what you apparently don't realize is that I don't do empty threats."

Jordan walked closer to James, glaring up at him. "I don't care that I'm five five and you're just… tall. I'll kick you in the shins over and over… Or I'll just get Lyn to kick your ass. Either way, it won't be pleasant, so tell us!"

There was the sound of a slamming door from downstairs and Lizzie's voice called, "Lyn? Jordan?"

"All right, she's here!" Lyn declared. "Now either spill your guts or I spill your blood!"

"You sure are violent," James said to the two girls as Lizzie came up the stairs to the third floor and Jordan's room.

"Yeah, one of our more charming qualities," Lyn spat sarcastically.

"Hey there, Aunt Lizzie. Care to share what this…" Jordan glared at James before simply concluding, "was too _scared_ to share?"

Lizzie smiled faintly. "I hope you haven't been too hard on the poor boy. I did ask him not to tell until I arrived."

"Okay, fine," Lyn growled. "Then we'll get ticked at you instead next time jerk-face won't tell us something. Just spill it already!"

"All right," Lizzie said with a sigh, wringing her hands. "Well, first you should understand that you really should know all of this by now. It's your birthright, I told Cryssie that, but she and Terry were just dead-set against it."

Something in Lyn's eyes shifted as a muscle in her jaw twitched, and Lizzie backpedaled quickly. "I'm very sorry, that was a poor choice of words. I just mean they were very… adamant about the decision to keep you two in the dark. Until you were older. But then this happened, and… well, their plans kind of fell through. They never meant for you to learn like this, I'm sure, but I knew you wouldn't trust me if I just _told you_."

"Oh, my God!" Jordan yelled suddenly. "Just tell us!"

James leaned against the wall silently, watching Lizzie, who sighed again and looked first down, then to Jordan, then to Lyn and said quietly, "You're witches."

There was a very short silence before Lyn's left eyebrow started twitching. "Yeah, well, I would tell y'all two what _you_ are, but, see, I don't cuss."

"No!" Lizzie said quickly. "I mean to say that what happened to you two, today… It's magic. _Your_ magic."

"Riiight… Okay, tell us what's really happening and quit with the evasive crap," Jordan said, rolling her eyes.

"What would you rather I tell you, then?" Lizzie asked with raised eyebrows. "Should I say that I slipped you LSD and you've just been hallucinating? Would that explain it better? Just think about it! Think about what happened while keeping in mind the idea… that you're witches."

"Okay, number one, that just sounds like a bad scifi show or something," Lyn growled, crossing her arms impatiently. "Number two, it's not freaking possible. Number three, you're cotton-picking NUTS. And number four – well, I don't even _need_ a number four!"

"I think Lyn pretty much covered it," Jordan said, glaring at Lizzie and James.

James shot a sideways look at Lizzie. "I think you should show them."

"Show us _what_?" Lyn asked angrily.

Lizzie sighed, then closed her eyes tightly, set her jaw, and a crease appeared between her eyebrows. She looked like she was trying not to scream – and then suddenly there was a whooshing sound and, on either side of here, there stood _another Lizzie_.

Lyn stared. Three Lizzies, standing in the doorway of Jordan's room as if they all had a purpose to being there. As if they belonged there, and this wasn't anything unusual at all. Then the one on the left spoke, her voice gentle as she said, "You see?"

The one on the right then added, "I hope this isn't scaring you."

"But it seems there's no other way to make you believe," finished the one in the middle.

"Y-yeah, sure," Lyn said in a mildly shaky voice that was a mockery of defiance, apparently without realizing she had instinctively taken a step back when this strange multiplication had occurred. "Funhouse tricks. That's supposed to convince somebody you're not out of your mind."

Jordan's eyes went wide, then the lids fluttered shut just before she fell backwards.

"Whoa!" James yelled, jumping forward and catching her before she hit the ground. "She… fainted!?"

He looked up at Lizzie – well, the Lizzies. The one on the right and the one on the left each put a hand on the shoulder of the one in the middle and were somehow pulled back into her. It was a strange sight, to say the least. She started toward Jordan, but Lyn suddenly stepped forward and pushed her back. The girl's heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure her aunt could hear it, but she didn't care.

"Go away," Lyn snapped, glaring fiercely despite a sudden thrill of fear. "Just go away, don't you think you've done enough!? Go away and leave her alone!"

James picked up Jordan and placed her on the bed. "She didn't do anything, Lyn. This is who you are. You can't ignore it. Your powers are already developing, and there are people who will want to harm you because of them. You two are the new generation of witches – more powerful. You can repress it and deny it all you want, but in the end, if you do, it's only going to harm you." James met Lyn's gaze. "And you aren't the only ones. There are other witches. Demons, warlocks."

"Oh? And what're _you_!?" Lyn demanded, glaring up at him. "No, wait, let me guess – leprechaun?"

"You know what? I don't need this crap!" James declared, glaring right back. He then walked out of the room and down the stairs, but then the sound of his footsteps stopped. As if he wasn't even there anymore.

"Your turn!" Lyn growled, rounding on Lizzie.

"Well, I'm a witch, dear," Lizzie said slowly. "Like you and Jordan and your –"

"No! I meant your turn to _go away_!"

Lizzie sighed. "All right, dear. When she wakes up and you want to talk, I'll be downstairs."

As soon as the hem of her sleeve was through the door, Lyn slammed said door and leaned back against it as if she were expecting someone to try to knock it down. Her breath was shaky and her knees were weak, but only now that she was alone except for an unconscious Jordan and there was no one to see did she slide to the ground with her face in her hands.


	3. The Storm

Disclaimer: Neither Jordan nor I own Charmed.

A/N: Me: And now… the moment…

Jordan: Of DUN DUN DUNNNNN!!

Me: XD True. There would be much dramatic music to go with this part of the story.

Jordan: So remember to review!

* * *

**Chapter Three – The Storm**

Jordan had finally woken up a few minutes after Lyn had all but shoved Lizzie out of the room, and they had stayed in her room for several hours. Lyn had found her CD player and a blouse which Jordan had 'borrowed' among the bags and reclaimed it, and only after unpacking everything Jordan owned did they finally quietly leave the room. Of course, Lizzie had to know that Jordan was up by now, but she didn't show up, and neither did James – which, for the most part, both girls were thankful for.

Neither exactly felt like the company of anyone else, so they ate cold pizza from the fridge when they got hungry and occupied themselves with unpacking Lyn's room. In there Jordan reclaimed her laptop charger cord, an assortment of hair clips, and a bag of mementos which she had shoved in Lyn's suitcase because she didn't have enough room in her bags and they sorted out Lyn's much more organized belongings. Their work was only occasionally interrupted by the discovery of a particularly painful sort of memory, like the framed image of a two-year-old Lyn with her parents or the photo album of their trip to Jacksonville last summer.

It was when the storm started brewing that Lyn began to really be put on edge. Jordan didn't understand it, so naturally she equated it to the same thing she felt jittery about – everything that had happened that day. When she finally said she was tired and left for her own room around eleven o'clock, Lyn sat on her own bed with her arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting on her knees and tried not to worry so much. It was stupid, how she was so scared by a simple dream. It wasn't real, it was just her subconscious's manifestation of her fear that something would happen to Jordan, the only person she had left now.

And nothing that had happened today changed that.

Jordan pulled on a set of Pierce High School sweats and turned off her lights, getting under her covers and pulling them up to her chin while revisiting everything that had happened that day. It took her a little while to fall asleep, thinking of everything Lizzie had said.

Lyn was just beginning to calm down enough to begin talking herself into trying to sleep when she saw the flash of lightning – heard the crack of thunder, dangerously close, and from this side of the third floor, she could actually see the towering palm tree sway and begin to fall. She was on her feet before she could hear the thud, her heart going a mile a minute.

It couldn't be, it wasn't possible…

But that didn't stop her from moving. She didn't stop to turn any lights on, just dashed to the door, her bare feet making only the faintest sound on the hardwood floor of the main room, and paused with her hand hovering a half centimeter from the doorknob on Jordan's room. She was probably already asleep… probably would kill Lyn for waking her up… but Lyn had to know…

Then she heard the second peal of thunder and her decision was already made. She threw the door open just as the ball of fire sprang to life in the man's hand. The faint light streaming through the windows in the main room cast a faint light on his face, on the same feral snarl that she had dreamt of – but surely this was just another dream?

"JORDAN!" Lyn yelled with all of her voice, frozen in place by the man's dark eyes as he switched his gaze to her, as she clearly read the intention of murder in his gaze…

Jordan woke with a start, looking around and finally seeing a man – who was holding fire in the palm of his hand, or at least so it seemed. "Who are you!?" she yelled, attempting to back away but just coming into contact with her headboard.

"My name is not important for a couple of witches who are about to die," growled the man in the same guttural voice that had made Lyn's skin crawl in her dream.

There was a sound of a door slamming and scrambling feet from somewhere on the first floor.

"Maybe I'll take care of the old one, too, while I'm here…" His gaze flickered to Jordan and then to Lyn as he went on, "I was going to start with the youngest, but since you're just so eager to die…"

"Jordan…" Lyn said, her voice a petrified whisper. "Run…"

Jordan's eyes went wide and she cried, "AUNT LIZZIE! JAMES! SOMEBODY!" The fireball went flying out of the demon's hand at the same instant that Jordan jumped in front of Lyn, her hands held out in a feeble attempt to protect them both.

The scream resounded in James's mind and he quickly located Jordan and Lyn, orbing into the third floor bedroom just as the fireball hit Jordan in the stomach, burning a hole, and she fell to the floor, bleeding and unconscious. He turned around to see the demon in the room with both Lyn and Jordan, who was on the ground.

"Hey!" he yelled, catching the demon's attention. Its eyes went wide and it quickly retreated back out the open window, throwing a fireball over its shoulder as it went. The ball of flame came within an inch of Lyn's head as she ducked, and James dodged it neatly before running into the room, kneeling to the floor beside Jordan and holding his hands above her stomach. There was an amber glow and, beneath it, the hole burned into Jordan's stomach disappeared into nothing but a hole in her sweatshirt.

She woke with a start, sitting up and seeing James kneeling next to her. Her eyes widened and she looked from him to Lyn and then to the broken window. "How…?"

Lizzie came dashing in, then, skidding and crashing into Lyn as she came off of the hardwood floor in slippers. Her quick gaze took in the broken window and the hole in Jordan's sweatshirt and she gasped out the same question that Jordan had been trying to get out: "What happened!?"

"He – _it_ – it came through the window," Lyn stammered, pointing shakily. "Last night – but I was dreaming! It was a dream, but – but it had fire in its hand, and – and it was gonna kill her!"

"I hate to break it to you, but that was a premonition – another power of yours. Do you see, now?" James asked, picking Jordan up and placing her on the bed before turning to frown at Lyn.

"How did… there was a hole in my stomach! Fire or something! How did you get rid of it!?" Jordan asked, pulling her sweatshirt up and examining her abdomen.

"This is – I don't even – what the crap!?" Lyn yelled suddenly, recovering her temper and a touch of hysteria as the initial petrification ebbed away. "People who throw balls of fire break into the room in the middle of the night and almost kill my sister and you two just waltz in all calm and serious and still trying to convince me I'm God knows what like it's no big deal!? What the crap kind of people are you!?"

"Lyndotia, dear… it's just that we're used to it," Lizzie said in an attempt at comfort.

"Nobody should be used to _that_!" Lyn objected, pointing at the window again. "And stop calling me that, just stop! You're not Mom!"

"Lyn… stop. I'm just as freaked as you are, but they're right. We do have a right to know. At least we're with them and not some other unknowing relative who would've put us in a circus. And come on. He just saved my life. They only want to help us…" Jordan looked to James and added, "Thank you…"

"No problem," he assured her. "It's my job."

Jordan cocked her head to one side. "Your… job?"

"I'm your whitelighter. Both of yours. Sort of like a protector for witches. We didn't want to tell you until you started developing your powers."

Lyn just stood and stared at them incredulously. How was Jordan just accepting this!? How could _anyone_ just accept this!? Lyn wanted to go home, to her friends, her job, and she didn't want to be some sort of possibly insane freak! She didn't want any of this, she just wanted her life back.

"Er – Lyn?" Lizzie said uncertainly, looking confused. "Dear, you – you're doing it again…"

"Whatever," Lyn growled. "I'm just gonna – I don't know, go somewhere else." And she retreated out the door, slamming it behind her – or, at least, there were loud footsteps and the door slammed. That was all that Lizzie was aware of, because Lyn herself was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, dear," Lizzie said with a sigh before looking worriedly at the other two. "She won't leave or get herself in trouble, will she, Jordan? James, can you sense her?"

"Knowing her, she probably will. What do you mean, sense her?" Jordan asked, looking from Lizzie to James.

"It's how whitelighters find the location of our charges, and know how they're feeling, or their physical well-being. She's distressed, and moving farther away. She definitely isn't in the house any more," James reported, pausing for a second before looking to Lizzie and asking, "Should I get her?"

Lizzie bit her lip. "I don't know. She won't like it, but we can't let her wander off anywhere with that demon still on the loose…"

"She isn't going to accept this. Hell, I'm barely accepting this. I mean, I turned into a horse! She's invisible! And you healed me or something? And a demon came in through my bedroom window? Held fire in his hand!? I mean, seriously, what the hell!? Next you're gonna tell me unicorns exist!"

"Actually… they do," James told her, getting off the bed and going to stand next to Lizzie. "And you're going to develop more powers over time. Lyn's already ahead of schedule if she's having precognitive dreams _and_ turning invisible."

"You should be glad the demon had to come in through your bedroom window," Lizzie said seriously. "Ordinarily they can just flame or shimmer in wherever they want. I put a protective spell on the house to keep them from coming in directly like that, but I don't know how much longer that will last; it's only supposed to work until you two come into your powers."

"So… it's gonna go away soon, now that I got my power? Doesn't seem very useful, though… turning into a horse?" Jordan chuckled, shaking her head.

"You should go talk to the Charmed Ones, Liz – to see if they can help us convince Lyn, help them both fine-tune her powers, and get rid of this demon. I'll find Lyn, or at least make sure she stays safe," James said before orbing out.

Jordan grimaced. "I don't think I'm gonna get used to that any time soon…"

Lizzie smiled. "You'll get used to it faster than you think, dear. It's both a blessing and a curse of what we are."

* * *

Lyn was tired of walking, mostly because she was already tired of this scenery, too. It was all dry and dim and bland. There wasn't a break for forests, for ponds or creeks or fields, and it was driving her nuts. She just wanted to go home, for things to go back to normal. She wanted the people she cared about back.

Finally she gave up on walking – it wasn't making her feel any better, anyway – and sat down on the ground with a sigh. The trees here were so uniform that it only increased her homesickness. She missed the abundance of firs and oaks and maples and dogwoods, all strewn together into the jumbled mass that made up the woods behind her house.

And it was her house, her home, it always would be. It was where she belonged, not here, with all this insane stuff that she couldn't explain, that wasn't logical and made no sense.

Lizzie had said that her mom had known, that she had been like this. Why wouldn't she have said anything? Why would she have let Lyn grow up so deeply steeped in a world she didn't belong to if she really didn't belong to it? Her mom wouldn't have done that… would she?

That familiar pain settled into Lyn's chest again as she thought of her parents. Somehow it was both an ache and a stabbing sensation at the same time, and also a gaping hole that even the pain couldn't fill. She was so tired, so sick of being treated like a fragile little flower who was as naïve as she was weak.

Lyn had had her eyes closed as she was thinking, but when she opened them, she finally understood what Lizzie had meant by 'you're doing it again.' She had her head bowed and was looking down at her hands – only they weren't there. She could see right through to the ground she was sitting on.

It was an eerie feeling, but at the same time, oddly… comforting? She was almost repulsed by that thought, but it was true. At least, while she was like this, she could think and feel as she wanted without having to face the scrutiny of others. It was strange, the feeling of serenity that washed over her, then. Maybe it wasn't so bad, after all. Right now, for just a moment, she was free.

James orbed to Lyn, expecting to see her standing against a wall or sitting on a bench, but instead… nothing. She wasn't there. She must still be invisible. "Lyn… I just want to talk. You don't have to show yourself. Is that okay with you?"

Lyn fought back a sigh at the loss of her moment of peace and crossed her arms, looking up. Apparently gardener-supernatural-whatever-the-crap-he-was-boy knew she was here, but didn't know exactly where. "I don't know _how_ to – un…do… whatever, anyway," she muttered. "So what do you want?"

"You know, I felt the same thing you're feeling… roughly, when my powers first came to me. I was confused and scared. I felt panicked, helpless. I found solace in your aunt. She helped me through it while I learned how to use and control my powers. Then, a few years ago, she helped me deal with the deaths of my parents. I'm sure I don't know exactly what you're feeling, but I do know what it feels like to have a hole in your heart so big that you think it can never be filled again."

James leaned against the wall of a nearby building, looking up at the sky. "Lizzie's a wonderful woman. A wonderful witch. She wants to help you, and I know everything's confusing, but don't push away your sister. You mean so much to her, you mean so much to your aunt. I'm not saying you should just go back home and take on all of… _this_. Just try to accept it for what it is."

"And what exactly _is_ that, then?" Lyn asked, her voice low and quiet but unaccusing, for once. "You gonna start on about how I should look on the bright side and don't forget what I have left, like the shrinks who keep telling me how I'm damaged and dangerous and if I don't stop repressing, I'm gonna lose it and kill somebody? Heh… I'd like to know what they think I'd do if I _didn't_ repress crap…"

"I'm not saying you should do anything. I know right now it seems like there _isn't_ any bright side. Just know that we're here for you. I mean, hell, I repress stuff. I repressed when my mom and dad died. But, eventually… I learned to accept this, the fact that I have powers. Just like you're eventually going to have to accept it. You're a witch, Lyn. You can do things that some people can't even imagine, and your powers are going to develop into something much greater. Sorry to be blunt, but I never really believed in the whole caring and sharing, shield-people-from-the-truth thing." He chuckled and moved toward the sound of Lyn's voice before sitting down.

"No, blunt is good," Lyn said with a sigh. "It's honest, and people lying and being evasive ticks me off." She fell silent for a moment, an uncertain silence because without being able to see her expression, there was no way of knowing what she was thinking. A small rock floated up a foot or so into the air; she was twirling it between her fingers. When she spoke again, though, her voice was softer still, barely above a whisper.

"And you're wrong, anyway. I'm not trying to push Jordan away; I'm just trying to keep her safe. If she believes you and wants to stay, then she should. But I don't want to be here. I don't want to be _this_." The rock suddenly flew off into the darkness; there was a short silence, followed by the sound of it skidding against the dirt some distance away. Lyn's voice was barely audible as she concluded, "I can't protect her if I don't even know who I am."

"No matter where you are, you're still going to be what you are. And, Lyn, I know you can conquer this. You're strong, I can tell. Now, I'm not going to try and _make_ you stay, I'm just saying that… I don't exactly know _what_ I'm saying." James looked over to where Lyn was supposed to be and smiled slightly.

Lyn laughed darkly and closed her eyes. "And right there, you prove my point. Even you and Lizzie keep saying 'w_hat_ I am' instead of '_who_ I am.' And as much as everybody keeps trying to tell me _I'm underestimating my strength_ and _I'll make it through this_, half the time I don't even feel like me, any more."

"I'm sorry. Hey… do you wanna just forget about all of this for the time being and do something?" James asked, getting up and looking down at the source of Lyn's voice.

Lyn frowned confusedly, not that he could tell that. "What are you talking about?" she asked slowly.

"You know, one of the perks of being able to orb anywhere is that I can take last-minute trips anywhere I want," he said, his right eyebrow raising.

"And you – orbing, did you call it? – somewhere is supposed to help me forget about anything?" Lyn asked doubtfully.

"I dunno… It's worth a shot? We could go anywhere – oh… wow. I guess it's already working a little bit?" he guessed, staring down at a now visible Lyn.

Lyn blinked when he said that and put her hand in front of her face, moving it around to check it from all angles as if she had half forgotten what it looked like. "Hm. Well, what do you know. At least I _look_ like myself again."

James smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "So… what do you say? London, Paris, Rome? Philadelphia?" he added with a smirk.

Lyn looked down and chuckled lightly, shaking her head. "Thanks anyway, but there's only one place I really wanna go… and I can't go back now. Wouldn't be the same, anyway."

"Do you wanna go back to your aunt's house, then?" he asked, wanting so badly to just make her happy.

"Not really." Lyn sighed and then looked up at him wearily. "You probably think I'm crazy, don't you? Anybody else on the planet would be ecstatic about going to California, staying someplace like Lizzie's. Even Jordan. You've gotta think I'm crazy for wanting to go back to Hicksville, Tennessee."

"You aren't crazy. Not by a long shot."

Lyn sighed and rested her chin on her knees. For a second, she heard her mother's voice, clear as day, berating her for sitting outside in the rain and asking if she wanted to die of hypothermia. It didn't make her feel any better. "So then why do I always feel like I'm messing up, no matter what I do?"

"I don't know… Because you're the kind of person who would do anything to make the people she loves happy, no matter what." James sat back down by her side and looked over at her.

The side of Lyn's lip twitched, but she still stared blankly straight ahead. "Mm. And I'm doing a real great job of that, huh?"

"You can't protect everyone, Lyn."

Lyn scoffed and nodded grimly. "You're right; I can't protect _anyone_."

"Lyn. You're seventeen. You're more mature than more twenty-year-olds. You've just hit a rough patch… Life can't always suck," he said with a chuckle.

"How do you –" Lyn paused, looking sideways at him, and shook her head. "Never mind; stupid question, I guess. You probably know more about me than I do."

James laughed. "Your aunt told me. Don't worry, I'm not _that_ stalkerish."

Lyn's right eyebrow twitched. "Interesting choice of words, but if you say so. And you're still wrong, either way. If I were so mature, I wouldn't be blowing up at people all over the place and freaking out about this crap."

"You're going through a lot, Lyn. And for God's sake… you just found out that you're a witch!" James said, turning to her.

"Yeah, and now we're just going in circles." She stood up and shook back her soaking-wet hair. _Probably should've stopped to get a jacket… Mom'd kill me… and Dad'd say I know better, which I do…_ Sighing, she brushed back the dark strands that were plastered to the side of her face with the moisture and muttered, "It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm just gonna go back, Jordan's already gonna kill me…"

"Do you want me to… orb us?" James asked, getting up.

Lyn shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'm not afraid of the rain."

"You might catch cold if you're out in the rain any longer. If you haven't already caught one…"

_Ugh, why does everybody keep trying to act like my parents!?_ Lyn bit back the retort that was ready on the tip of her tongue. She had already freaked out enough for one night. So instead she forced a smirk and fell back on her old standard, muttering in an attempt at joking, "Just a cold? Nothing more extravagant, like getting struck by lightning?"

James rolled his eyes and grabbed Lyn's hand, orbing them both back to Lizzie's house.

Lyn blinked several times, then raised both eyebrows. "O…kay… That was… only _mildly_ weird, after everything today…"

"You'll get used to it," James said with a shrug.

"I doubt that," Lyn murmured. She shook her head and shot him a sideways glance. "Just in case Jordan kills me as soon as I walk upstairs, thanks. You saved her life; I owe you."


	4. New Acquaintances

Disclaimer: Neither Jordan nor I own Charmed.

A/N: Lyn: Reeeaallllly long chap, this one.

Jordan: But it's awesome!

Lyn: Yeah. Enter some new characters – and the Halliwells!

Jordan: Ohmygosh the canon characters finally appeared! :O So please leave a review?

* * *

**Chapter Four – New Acquaintances**

"Jordan, it's nine-thirty," Lyn said exasperatedly, flopping down on Jordan's bed and landing across her. "I've been trying to wake you up for an hour and a half! Get out of bed already!"

Jordan let out a muffled groan. "Mmphf… Gtfff…"

"I am not getting up unless you agree to get out of the cotton-picking bed, JJ!" Lyn said in the most annoying sing-song voice she could manage. Her spirits were starting to come back in the past couple of weeks in San Francisco – or, at least, she was getting better at not turning into a stone-faced catatonic at random intervals. She still had problems with randomly turning invisible, though, especially when her parents or her hometown were mentioned.

"Fmph… Gtfff…" Jordan said, wriggling around under Lyn.

"All right, but if you don't, I'm gonna take your walkman and throw it out the window…"

"Nnn… Gtfff!" Jordan yelled into her pillow.

Lyn rolled her eyes and got up, smirking. "Up and at 'em, JJ! Lizzie's been looking for us, probably wonders why the entirety of breakfast wasn't devoured this morning. You know I can't eat a third as much as you do, I have no idea how you're still four inches shorter than me…"

Jordan got up and added, "Or weigh more than you… but no! It's yet another medical mystery. Now, let's go get food – I'm starving."

She grabbed Lyn's wrist and pulled her toward the stairs, where she let go and ran all the way downstairs and saw Lizzie sitting on the couch, reading the newspaper.

"Mornin', Aunt Lizzie!" she cried, practically dancing into the kitchen and grabbing food from the fridge. She pulled out enough for her and Lyn, which was most of it, and put it in the microwave.

"Good morning," Lizzie laughed as Lyn came down the stairs after Jordan, looking like she wanted to whack her sister upside the head.

"Morning," Lyn said clearly before proceeding to the kitchen, pulling a wooden spoon out of a drawer, and whacking Jordan in the arm with it. "Idget!"

"Ow! Jeez, what'd I do!?" Jordan grumbled as she opened the microwave and pulled out the food, placing it on the table. She then rolled her eyes at Lyn and went on, "Evs… Now, why is that so high? … Seriously, who can reach that?" she grumbled, reaching up toward a cabinet above her head. "Argh! Come on…" Suddenly a plate came crashing down, but before it could hit the ground, before Jordan's grasping hand could reach it, it froze in midair. "Wow…"

Lyn's eyebrows shot up. "Uhh… JJ… What'd you do…?"

"I have… no idea," Jordan said, her eyes wide. "Uh… Aunt Lizzie? Can you come in here for a sec?"

"Yes, dear?" Lizzie asked as she appeared in the doorway, and then she literally squealed when she saw the plate suspended in midair. "Oh, my – Jordan? Are you doing that?"

"Sure as crap ain't me," Lyn said, backing away as if to revoke any claim she might have had on the matter.

Jordan concentrated as hard as she could on the plate and it moved slowly towards the table before dropping onto it with a thud. She then chuckled and said, "Wow. That was pretty cool."

"That was pretty _bizarre_," Lyn said, still watching the plate as if she expected it to start tap dancing.

"Ohh!" Lizzie cried, racing across the room and hugging Jordan tightly. "I can't believe it, you're both coming along so quickly! It usually takes months or even years for young witches to show more than one primary power!"

"But I had the dream and the invisibility thing that keeps being a pain and popping up at random intervals," Lyn objected. "And those just showed up two days apart! And Jordan's animal… mimicry, did you call it? And now this, I'm guessing telekinesis… And that's only been two weeks…"

"Huh! That's gonna come in handy… Like when I don't feel like getting up and I want something!" Jordan said, smiling contentedly as she thought of all the uses.

"You're forgetting what Aunt Lizzie said about the personal gain clause," Lyn said, frowning. "And anyway, you're assuming you can control it. I still keep disappearing sometimes, whether I want to or not."

"Oh, dear, we must keep you both from doing anything like that tonight!" Lizzie said suddenly.

Lyn looked confused. "Why? What's tonight?"

Lizzie looked appalled. "Why, the party, of course! Don't tell me I didn't mention it…?"

"What party? Tonight!? For what?" Jordan asked, firing off questions.

"The party, here, tonight!" Lizzie almost squealed again. "Oh, I was sure I told you! You see, I thought it would be terrible if you both had to wait until school starts in the fall to meet anyone in the neighborhood, so I invited some neighbors, friends, old acquaintances, families with kids you might be going to school with – you know!"

Lyn had turned slightly pale. "Are… are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Lizzie said emphatically.

"Are there going to be any boys from the high school there!?" Jordan asked, wide-eyed. "Cute boys!?"

Lizzie laughed. "Oh, I'm sure there will be a few you'll think are cute." Then she seemed to think of something and asked, "Oh – I don't suppose you two have any sort of formal dresses, do you?"

Lyn looked like she was about to have a stroke, then. "F-_formal_!?"

"No," Jordan said, chuckling. "Formal in San Francisco is definitely different than formal in Pierce."

"It still means a dress and evil shoes and me making a fool out of myself," Lyn complained.

"If we do need to get something, I suggest flats for you," Jordan said with a smirk, remembering the last time Lyn had worn heels to a party.

"No!" Lyn objected instantly. "I hate flats. Flats are very Anna Delano, and I am _not_ Anna Delano. Just no four-inch heels, I don't know how I let Ella talk me into those. I was taller than my date and everybody else, except a couple of the basketball players…"

"I take this to mean we're going to go shopping?" Lizzie asked, sounding excited.

"I guess so!" Jordan said, grinning broadly and sounding just as excited.

Lyn groaned, but she was overridden as Lizzie demanded, "Then what are we waiting for!? We have to find something that fits and looks nice before tonight!"

"We're here! … Whoa, this place looks expensive, and we haven't even gone in yet! What is this place?" Jordan asked as Lizzie's driver came around and opened the car door.

"Vera Wang," Lizzie announced cheerily as she nearly bounced in place on the sidewalk.

"I don't know about this," Lyn said warily, looking uncomfortable at the thought of Lizzie spending even more money. But there was no way Lyn could possibly pay for anything from this place… or probably any place in San Francisco, for that matter.

Jordan walked into the store and nearly gasped out loud. "Wow…" she breathed, nearly gliding around the store in awe of the dresses.

"Isn't it wonderful!?" Lizzie asked, looking just as excited as Jordan even though she wasn't buying anything for herself. "Look around, find something you like!"

Even Lyn was impressed against her will as she looked around, her eyebrows raised high but her expression unfathomable. "This stuff… all looks… seriously expensive…"

Jordan stopped dead in her tracks. "Marry me?" she whispered to the blue halter-neck dress in front of her.

Lizzie laughed, and Lyn rolled her eyes. "Is that the one you want?" Lizzie asked happily. "Have you looked all around to be sure there's nothing you like better?"

"I'm sure… One hundred percent," Jordan answered, still staring at the dress almost as if star-shocked.

Lizzie laughed again; apparently she _still_ did that a lot. "All right, dear, it's yours. Now, what about you, Lyn?"

"Oh, I don't know, Aunt Lizzie," Lyn said, still looking distinctly uncomfortable.

"But you must have some idea of what you want!" Lizzie objected. "Maybe something green, to go with your eyes? Or purple, since you like that color so much?"

Lyn sighed resignedly and began looking more closely at the different dresses. It was obvious she couldn't get out of here with no dress without hurting Lizzie's feelings or the excuse of some natural disaster. Where were those infamous California earthquakes when you needed them, anyway?

All of the dresses were beautiful, of course. Lyn made a point of not looking at prices, though, because she knew she would likely have a heart attack at seeing the lowest of them all. A couple of them caught her eye, but when she was just turning to Jordan to complain that she had no idea what she was even looking for and could she please help, she spotted it. Dark purple and strapless, overlaid with black lace… it was gorgeous, and her eyebrows shot up instantly.

"Did you find one you like, dear?" Lizzie asked, following her niece's gaze. "Ooh, it is nice! Jordan, don't you think it will go perfectly with her hair and skin tone?"

Jordan turned around and saw the dress behind her. "Whoa… Yeah! That dress is perfect for you!" she declared, beaming. "And you found it by yourself! I think I'm going to tear up…" She dabbed at fake tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Oh, shut up!" Lyn objected, rolling her eyes again. "And you called me a drama queen for threatening to kill you. I mean, seriously, threatening murder is definitely nowhere near the league of threatening tears."

Lizzie laughed yet again, her eyes dancing and her feet seeming a little hyperactive again as she nearly bounced between them. "So now that you've found the dresses you want – do you have shoes?"

In fact, they didn't have shoes to go with their dresses, and so they went to yet another expensive store – and, after much searching, they found the perfect shoes. Unbeknownst to the girls, their aunt had hired a professional hair-and-makeup artist to come to the house. Well, just hair, for Lyn; even Lizzie knew for a fact that Lyn hated makeup. It took the rest of the day to get the girls and herself ready, plus the house. She had already hired a caterer and people to work the party, and finally, it was time, and people started to arrive – with… gifts?

"You… must… be kidding me," Lyn whispered, a blush turning her high cheekbones red as she tried her hardest to fall back into the wall where she couldn't be seen. Ah, invisibility, such a fickle power; never working when she needed it. "Why do they have gifts!? Why would Lizzie do that!?"

Jordan pulled Lyn toward her. "Don't start spazzing… These are almost all of Aunt Lizzie's friends and neighbors. Don't you want to make a good impression?" She linked her arm with Lyn's and pulled her out of the gift room and into the party.

"Fine," Lyn muttered, trying her hardest to force on a smile that didn't look entirely fake. "But just for the record, I soooo resent both of you for this. Her for putting this together and you for _going along with it_. I mean, really, I hate this kind of thing and you know that…"

"Yes, I know… Oh, my! Lyn! Look over there!" Jordan said, pulling her sister back into the gift room and pointing to a guy who was talking to their aunt. His eyes were green and his hair a dirty blond. His body was muscular, like he played some sort of sport.

It took Lyn a good thirty seconds to compose her face into an expression that wasn't half incredulous and half amused. "Only you could spot a guy to crush on in your first ten seconds of entering a party," she finally managed to say. "I will never understand the thing with you and blonds…"

"Yeah, well, don't think I don't know about your thing about guys with blue eyes – and don't think I don't see the looks you've been giving James, either." Jordan clicked her tongue and shoved Lyn in the shoulder, peering around the doorframe.

"Hey, blue eyes are gorgeous," Lyn retorted, shoving Jordan right back, but not hard enough to blow her cover – she wasn't gonna rat her out for spying on purpose, no matter how much they bickered. "And I have _not_ been doing any such thing!"

"It should be illegal to be that hot…" Jordan breathed. "Oh no… Lizzie's seen us! She's coming over here!"

"So stop goggling the blond dude and don't look so shifty!" Lyn whispered out of the corner of her mouth, elbowing Jordan's side.

"Girls! Why are you hiding in a side room!?" Lizzie whispered conspiratorially as she practically danced over, looking around at the guests who had already arrived and at the blond guy she had just been talking to, who was standing a couple of feet away and looking curiously in their direction.

"Oh," Lyn invented quickly, "we came to show one of the guests to the right room, and Jordan's foot slipped out of her shoe, so she's, uh, readjusting it. Those heels, you know, they're murder – I did warn you two about them this morning…"

"Oh, you didn't hurt your ankle, did you!?" Lizzie gasped, trying to peer around the doorframe toward Jordan, but Lyn not-so-discreetly blocked her way.

"No, no, she's fine," Lyn assured her, smiling broadly (and rather falsely). "Just be one second and she'll her have shoe fixed – uh, one sec, right, JJ?" Lyn repeated, shooting Jordan a sideways look that demanded, 'Get out here already!'

"Uh… Yeah! I'll be right there! You know, these heels, they'll kill ya!" Jordan gathered her courage and walked around to stand next to Lyn. "Hi, Aunt Lizzie! Hi…?" She trailed off, noticing the hot guy she had just been ogling and shooting Lyn an 'Are you serious!? Why didn't you warn me!?' look.

Lyn raised her eyebrows, widened her eyes, and twitched her head ever-so-slightly toward Lizzie as if to demand, 'What was I _supposed_ to say!?'

The blond guy's eyes trailed from Jordan's head down. His right eyebrow twitched upward slightly as he caught sight of her shoes; then his gaze flicked back to her face, and he smirked. "Drake," he filled in, then added, "And I don't know about that. They look pretty good, if you ask me."

Lyn fought very, very hard to keep a straight face, but couldn't help shooting Jordan an amused sort of sideways look.

Jordan inwardly swooned. "I'm glad you think so… Drake. I'm Jordan." She turned her head toward Lyn and added, "That's my sister, Lyn." She looked back to Drake and took a deep breath, willing herself not to blush.

His smirk shifted slightly toward more of an actual smile, and he nodded slightly in their direction. "Pleasure to meet you both," he said cordially, but his gaze shifted back to Jordan as he spoke.

Jordan glanced to the side at Lyn and Lizzie, silently willing them away. "So how do you know my aunt?" she asked, silently kicking herself for not thinking of anything better to say to him.

Lyn took the hint, albeit somewhat begrudgingly. "Hey, Aunt Lizzie?" she asked, reaching for her aunt's arm. "Is there anybody here who'll be at college with me this year?"

"Oh!" Lizzie exclaimed, her eyes suddenly going all wide and sparkly. "Yes, that's right, I nearly forgot! Here, come with me, I'll introduce you to my friend Rachel's son, Alex –"

And Lyn let Lizzie drag her away, shooting Jordan a look over her shoulder that clearly stated, 'You so owe me for this!'

"My mom went to school with her," Drake explained, watching Lizzie drag Lyn off with a slightly amused expression. "She's very… enthusiastic, your aunt, isn't she?"

"Yeah… very." Jordan grinned at Lyn and mouthed 'thank you!' at her.

Drake's expression turned back to a smirk as his gaze switched back to Jordan. His gaze was knowing, though, as he commented, "You know, your sister doesn't really seem like the outgoing, I-want-to-meet-people-I'll-be-going-to-school-with type."

"Yeah. Parties aren't really her thing… And she doesn't really wanna be in San Francisco, she'd rather still be back in our hometown. We're opposites." She smiled slightly and leaned against the doorframe.

Drake's eyebrows raised, but his eyes were amused. "So you like parties… and being here, then?"

"Yup. I never really liked Tennessee. I've always been more of a city-type girl. And I've always liked parties." Jordan grinned. "What about you? You like parties?"

"Some of them," he admitted, smiling slightly. "This one isn't bad."

"I'd definitely say it's getting better," Jordan said with a smirk. "I can't believe people brought gifts…" She rolled her eyes.

Drake laughed. "Oh, yeah. Somewhere in there is a very pink, very square box from my mom. God only knows what she put in it, either."

Jordan smiled widely. "I'm definitely opening that one first," she said with a laugh, and looked around when music came on. "Huh," she murmured, then shook her head and rolled her eyes again.

"I wouldn't," Drake warned. "Really. It's probably an explosion of pink fluffiness. Mom's notorious for that, I wouldn't wish it on anybody." He smiled as he spoke, but then noticed her expression when the music began to play and raised his eyebrows. "You don't dance, then?"

"No, I dance, it just… It doesn't really seem like a dancing kind of party," Jordan said, shrugging.

"As far as I've seen of my mom's and your aunt's type of parties… in their eyes, _any_ occasion merits dancing."

Her eyebrows furrowed, and she chuckled. "Oh? And do _you_ dance?"

Drake smirked and shook his head. "Uh-uh. You can't just _ask_ a question like that. If you're curious, well, then you're just gonna have to agree to dance with me and find out for yourself."

Jordan studied him for a moment, almost as if thinking very hard. "Hmm… I think I can dance with you," she said, smiling slightly.

Drake flashed a stunning smile, then, and led her toward the middle of the room, which was currently serving as a dance floor. "So… depending on your opinion of my dancing… you think I might get more than one song?"

"Y'know… I think you just might," Jordan answered, grinning.

"Now, let's see, who haven't I introduced you to yet?" Lizzie wondered aloud as she rather unnecessarily stood on her tiptoes to scan the crowd.

"No one, I think I've met the entire city of San Francisco," Lyn complained under her breath.

"Oh, I know!" Lizzie cried, obviously without hearing Lyn's muttering, dragging her niece through the crowd again.

"Aunt Lizzie – you're gonna pull my arm out of socket!" Lyn objected, trying not to sound whiny. _Argh, Jordan owes me SO big for this…_

"Phoebe!" Lizzie called to someone Lyn couldn't see – or had no idea who was, anyway. "Phoebe, dear, where are your sisters!? I wanted to introduce one of my nieces…"

"They're over at the food," answered the woman Lizzie was talking to. "Is this Lyn? James was telling us about her and Jordan."

"Yeah," Lyn said, trying hard not to sigh. At least she was getting better at it, after having been introduced to half the population of San Francisco already. "That'd be me. Nice to meet you."

Phoebe leaned in. "Invisibility, right? And dreams?"

Lyn looked startled. "Oh. Um, y-yeah. Only – only one dream, but… yeah, I guess."

"Oh, don't worry," Lizzie said confidently. "Cryssie's dreams were always very unpredictable. Sometimes she wouldn't have one for a month, sometimes she'd have two in one night."

"I don't quite see how," Lyn muttered. "Mine didn't exactly encourage me to go back to sleep…"

After three songs, Jordan and Drake were still dancing. During the middle of a more fast-paced song, Jordan asked, "You know, I think I have to admit, you can dance. By the way, how did you learn?"

Drake laughed. "Didn't I tell you my mother drags me to these parties all the time? I had to pick up _something_ useful after sixteen years of it."

Jordan smiled. "Well, that's good for me. And here I thought this party was going to be boring."

A half smirk, half smile played crookedly across Drake's face. "Something tells me you could find something interesting in any situation."

"Hmm… and how can you tell? I mean, you've only known me for… an hour?" Jordan guessed, her head cocked to the side.

Drake grinned fully, then. "Mm… because, to keep from facing a _completely boring_ party… you decided to dance with me, out of all the guys here?"

Jordan blushed and rolled her eyes. "You flatter yourself," she muttered, but smiled, anyway.

"Would you prefer I flatter you, then?" he asked, still grinning.

"Hmm… I wouldn't hate it," Jordan replied, smirking.

Drake chuckled. "No, you'd just turn about the color of your aunt's dress, like when I complimented your shoes."

Jordan blushed again, against her will. "It's not my fault that I blush easily… And I wouldn't turn exactly that color… I don't think."

"Mm, probably not. It would be very hard to turn a color quite that bright. I'm sure you could pull it off beautifully if you tried it, though."

Jordan's face turned hot. "You're quite the charmer…"

Drake smiled. "Only if the one I'm talking to is as charming as you."

As Jordan smiled and bit her lip, her cheeks seemed to be a permanent rosy pink. "Y'know, you seem too… flawless to be real. I mean, good dancer," her blush increased in color as she went on, "good looking, charming. I'm onto you…"

She grinned at Drake, whose eyebrows furrowed almost unnoticeably. "Oh, really?" he asked slowly, the corner of his lip twitching up in a slight smirk. "And what's this that you know…?"

Jordan leaned into him and whispered in his ear, "You're too perfect. You have to have some flaw. That's what I know."

The corner of Drake's lip twitched again, but his eyes were darker, now. "Everyone has flaws… Just some people put more effort into hiding them."

"Oh?" Jordan pulled back and grabbed his hand, pulling him off the dance floor and into the gift room. "And what are _your_ flaws?"

Drake's smirk was more faint now as he asked quietly, "You know what you're asking? Do you wanna hand over a list of _your_ faults?"

"I'm sorry… I wasn't thinking." She looked down, embarrassed and sure that she had missed her shot with him because her brain momentarily stopped functioning.

Drake recovered both his smirk and his personality quickly. "Hey," he said gently, lifting her chin to make her look up at him. "It's okay. Maybe I just want you to keep thinking I'm perfect."

Jordan smiled slightly, her chin tingling where he touched it. "Y'know, I can't seem to think of anything to say around you." She closed her eyes and bit her lip, turning red and letting her head fall back against the wall. "Like that. See, I can't believe I said that."

"It's not so bad," Drake assured her, smiling genuinely again. "And who's flattering who, now? You telling me I make you tongue-tied…"

Jordan opened her eyes and smiled. "I think you'd have that effect on any girl within a one-mile radius."

"No, I don't think so," he said quietly, his eyes fixed on hers. "So far, just the one with really beautiful eyes who thinks I'm perfect."

Jordan blushed and smiled. "Would you mind, if I… kissed you?"

Drake's smile reappeared, then, but it was a gentler version than before. "That depends. Would you mind if _I_ kissed _you_?"

"Not at all." She smiled back at him, pulling him to her and kissing him softly, her eyelids fluttering shut. His hand brushed lightly against the side of her face, just enough to make the hair on the back of her neck stand up, as he gently returned the kiss.

Jordan pulled back first, breathing slightly harder than normal. "Wow," she breathed.

Drake drew his hand back, letting his fingertips ghost across her cheek and the side of her mouth as he did so. "Wow," he agreed in a low whisper, smiling ever so slightly.

Meanwhile, Phoebe, Lyn, and Lizzie had gone into a separate room. "So, do you know what your triggers are yet?" Phoebe asked.

Lyn's brow creased. "My… triggers? You mean, like… what makes me go invisible?"

"Yeah. Like, what do you do or say to make yourself invisible?"

"Uh…" Lyn's gaze shifted uncomfortably to a nearby wall. "I don't… exactly… _say_ or _do_ anything. It's more… er… Y-you know what? I should probably – probably go find Jordan. Because she – you know, she should – she'd want to talk to you, too, you know?" she asked, trying not to sound too shifty.

Phoebe could tell that Lyn was uncomfortable; in fact, she could feel it. "Yeah, sure. Go ahead."

"Thanks," Lyn said gratefully before backing out of the room and walking off into the mass of people. Where could Jordan be?

"Hey! Ehmagawd! Are you the new girl!?" cried a redhead wearing a short pink dress.

"Oh – er, yeah – I'm Lyn. Hey, have you seen my sister around anywhere…?"

"No, but seriously, we have to chat! I can tell we'll be BFFs! So, do you prefer lip gloss or lipstick? Or just Chapstick? I've been trying to figure out which I should use, it'd be cool to get a second opinion!" she chirped.

Lyn stared. "Uh… I'm sorry, what? Not to be rude or anything, but… who are you…?"

"Oh! Duh, silly me! I'm Brittany! I go to the state university! That's where you're going! I know, because I already asked them to make us roomies!" She giggled and continued, "So! Where are you from!? I heard you were from Tennessee? Sorry about your parents. Heard they died!"

A look of mingled pain and dread washed the fake smile off of Lyn's face. _Don't think about it, don't, you can't go invisible now!_ "Y-yeah," she said quietly. "They did. It was – it was a month ago. And yeah. Pierce, Tennessee." She looked shiftily down at her hand, to make sure it was still visible, which it was; but she had to get out of here, she couldn't keep thinking about _not thinking about it_ much longer. "But look – Brittany – I kind of have to go find my sister – our aunt wants to introduce us to somebody –"

"Okay, but we'll be in touch! Love ya!" And with that, Brittany walked away, leaving Lyn standing alone. Trying to keep herself from shaking, Lyn turned and darted into the next room, which happened to be the kitchen. Lucky for her, it was deserted, because her hands were already starting to shift out of view beneath her gaze. For a long moment, she leaned back against the door and tried to bite back the aching hollow in her chest; then she turned around and tried to discreetly slip back out the door.

Well, on the bright side, it would be much easier to find Jordan unnoticed now. But there was also the horrible throbbing in her chest to deal with; but she could push that back for now. For now; it would be much worse when she finally got to bed, though, and she would have nightmares again…

Lyn shook her head and swallowed hard. She had to stop thinking like this or she would never stop going invisible when she didn't mean to; and she would never turn back, either. Right now, she just needed to find –

JORDAN!? Lyn's eyes went wide as she walked by the gift room, just glancing inside, and saw Jordan, wrapped so tightly in the arms of the blond guy from earlier that you could hardly tell where one ended and the other began. Fighting back a touch of revulsion at what she had seen and what she was interrupting, Lyn walked in, taking care to be silent, and tapped Jordan's shoulder carefully.

Jordan pulled away from Drake with a gasp. She looked at his stunned face and then down at his shoulder. "Uh… Sorry, I – I have to go to the bathroom. I'll be back."

She smiled and walked away quickly to the bathroom, holding the door open for five seconds before closing and locking it. "Are you crazy!? He's gonna think I'm nuts now!" Jordan yelled at the invisible Lyn in front of her.

"Are _you_ crazy!?" Lyn shot back, her voice reverberating around the room. "I have to get dragged around the entire party and introduced to everyone Lizzie ever knew, including someone like her – _us_ – who tried to interrogate me and the most annoying girl I've ever met in my life who wouldn't shut up about home and you're standing in a side room _making out with some guy_!?"

"Okay, we _connected_! I'm starting to think this may just be more than a random makeout. He's charming and hot and – just awesome! Wait… what do you mean, someone like us? And the most annoying girl you've ever met?" Jordan asked, her eyebrows shooting up.

"I mean a – you know what I mean, okay!? And possibly, yes. I'm not sure yet if she can top Anna Delano. But really, Jordan, what in heaven's name are you thinking!? Lizzie'll kill us both if she finds out you never even showed at the party!"

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Not if she finds out I made a new friend. That's the only reason she organized this party." She sighed and leaned back against the sink. "God… His lips are soft. And he's such a good kisser…" She smiled dreamily and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Okay, seriously!" Lyn's voice cried. "Too much information! Anyway, I'm just supposed to be finding you. Lizzie _will_ kill us if you don't go back and talk to this Phoebe person." There was a sigh and she muttered, "Everybody keeps trying to get me to tell them about the trigger for my invisibility. And they keep asking in front of Lizzie, and I can't tell _her_… I don't want to tell _anybody_. I don't want to _think_ about it."

"But – I told him I'd be right back! Can't I talk to her later?" Jordan asked, pouting and giving Lyn her puppy dog eyes.

"Jordan, I am not going back there by myself – I don't want to go back at all!" Lyn half-yelled, exasperation evident in her voice. "I'm sick of being interrogated and people asking stupid questions I don't want to answer when they know half the answers, anyway!"

Jordan huffed. "Fine! You owe me big time… Do you have a paper? And a pen?" She grimaced as she looked around for anything she could write on.

"Did you miss the part where I got dragged around, interrogated, and annoyed half to death?" Lyn growled. "Did you forget _why_ that happened? Because I lured Lizzie away so you could make out with your little blond Romeo is the gift room! Trust me – _you_ still owe _me_. And yeah, I do… though I'm not entirely sure if I can find them, or if they'll be visible when I do…" This pronouncement was followed by the click of the clasp on her purse opening and the sound of rummaging around inside it.

"Fine… I still owe you. And he's hot, okay? Don't be mean… Heh… Lyn, I can see you again. That dress looks really good on you," Jordan said, grinning.

"Shut up, you're not talking me into anything," Lyn grumbled, pulling a pen and a small red notebook out of her purse and slamming them down on the bathroom counter. Then she sighed and shook her head, eyes closed. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to – I'm sorry, okay?"

Jordan grabbed the notebook and pen. "What do you mean? For what? You didn't do anything."

She wrote her name and number on a piece of paper and tore it out, handing the pen and notebook back to Lyn. "And by the way – it really does look good on you, and I wasn't trying to talk you into anything." She smirked and leaned her side against the wall.

Lyn sighed and massaged her forehead. "Honestly, Jordan? I really don't care. I'm tired. I wanna get out of these shoes and into real clothes and attempt to forget today. You're the one who wanted to go along with this in the first place, I just got dragged along for the ride. Emphasis on dragged. I think Lizzie was trying to yank my arm out of socket while she was at it."

Jordan grinned. "James!" she yelled, though not too loud.

James, naturally, heard her call and orbed to her. "Yeah?"

"Can you take Lyn upstairs? She's not feeling well but she doesn't want to attract attention." Jordan looked over at her sister with a sly smile on her face.

"Jordan!" Lyn objected at once. "That's not what I meant and you know it! And you don't even know where you're supposed to go, you'll just end up staying in the gift room!"

"I know my way around our aunt's house, Lyn. Listen, you're right. I shouldn't have been making out with Drake while you were being interrogated and annoyed by stupid annoying girls. Go upstairs. I'll tell Lizzie that you didn't feel well and that I sent you up. Just go, okay? I owe it to you."

"You made out with someone!?" James whisper-yelled. "Did you just meet him!?"

"Yes… now shut up!" Jordan yelled back at him.

"Augh," Lyn groaned, grimacing. "_Both of you_, shut up. Seriously, that was traumatizing. I do not need mental pictures being recalled, okay? And I do not need Lizzie to murder me when she finds out there's nothing wrong with me but a severe case of not wanting to tell her something."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Fine… decide amongst yourselves… I'm going to go say goodbye to my dream guy." With one last glare at both of them, she walked out, closing the door.

Lyn sighed heavily. "I'm gonna kill her… Seriously, though, I'm fine. I even managed not to go invisible when the stupid prep girl wouldn't shut up. Well… I sort of only managed not to go invisible before I could hide first… but that's not the point! I'm still fine!"

James smirked. "You have a lot to tell me. Especially… the stupid prep girl? … But let's get back out there before you get yelled at, huh?"

"Yes, stupid prep girl," Lyn repeated. "Which reminds me. I must find out what college Lizzie sent my transfer application to, get in touch with them, and make sure that Brittany girl was not serious about whatever the crap she was saying about being roommates… But for now I probably really should go back to Lizzie. Hopefully they'll have forgotten about interrogating me by now, though I somehow doubt it."

James smirked and led Lyn out of the bathroom, his hand on her back.

Drake was starting to get edgy, leaning against the wall in a corner of the room, when he caught a blur of movement in his peripheral vision and looked up. A slight smile tugged at his lip instantly. "You made it back," he commented, sounding mildly amused now that she was actually here.

"Yeah, sorry. I got caught up by somebody. They started talking and just wouldn't stop." She smiled, walking over to him. "Hey, I gotta go… Some friends of my aunt want to meet me, and I don't want to bore you."

Drake looked somewhat disappointed, but retained his smile, anyway. "I don't know; I'm not sure that's possible. But it's okay, I know. I mean, your aunt put the whole party together so you could meet people and everything."

Jordan pressed the piece of paper into his hands and kissed him, letting it linger before walking away. She looked over her shoulder at him before disappearing into the crowd.

Looking down at the paper in his hand, Drake let out a slow breath and then smiled crookedly. Then he pushed away from the wall, folded the paper carefully into an inside pocket of his jacket, and looked back up. The blue of Jordan's dress was lost in the multi-colored crowd, and he half sighed before returning to the main room.

Jordan sighed, making her way through the crowd, looking for Lyn or James – possibly both. Finally, she spotted James, and upon drawing closer said, "Hey. Where's Lyn?"

"She's behind me…" James said, suppressing his laughter.

Jordan grinned. "And why is she doing that? Lyn? Why are you hiding behind James?"

"Shh!" Lyn hissed, peeking out from behind James's back like a frightened child. "You'll blow my cover! It's the idget in the evil color over there… I can't talk to her again. I'll either break her nose or wind up turning invisible. Possibly both, and not necessarily in that order."

Jordan started laughing, but covered her mouth with her hand and turned around, looking for anybody in pink and finding a redhead, dressed in pink from head to toe. Well, minus a large gap of skin from where her skirt ended just below her rear end and where her shoes began.

"Huh… I don't like her already. Not that I have such a distaste for pink as you do, but I can tell she's prissy…" She glared and turned back around, spotting Lizzie with three women. "I'm gonna go talk to Lizzie and company. James, keep her from being noticed. That's the last thing we need…"

Jordan walked away, smirking. "Hi, Aunt Lizzie!" she said, walking up next to her.

"Oh, hello, dear," Lizzie said, beaming. "I see your sister found you. I wanted to introduce you to someone! These are the Halliwell sisters – I knew their mother for years."

"Hi," said the woman on the far right, giving a slightly crooked smile. "I'm Piper, and this is Phoebe and Paige…"

"Where's Lyn, dear?" Lizzie interjected, blinking. "I thought she was supposed to come back with you. She didn't turn invisible again, did she?"

Jordan smiled politely. "Uh… she wasn't feeling very well. She's just with James right now. She'll come by later." She then switched her gaze to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige. "Hi, I'm Jordan, Lyn's sister."

"Yeah, we figured. So, you can turn into animals and move things with your mind? That's pretty sweet…" Paige said, grinning, while Phoebe rolled her eyes.

"Paige, _you_ can move things with your mind!" Piper said, giving her sister a strange look. "Or with your voice _and_ your mind… but it's close enough!"

"You can? How do you control it? I just got it today. I don't even know how I did it," Jordan admitted. "By the way, what are your powers? All of your powers?"

"Well, I'm half whitelighter, so I just say what I want… or think what I want, and it just sort of happens," Paige said thoughtfully.

"I can levitate, I have premonitions, and I'm an empath," Phoebe listed.

"And I can freeze times and blow things up," Piper said, smiling slightly. "Which comes in handy." She paused for a second and added, "Our older sister, Prue, had telekinesis and could astral project. Hers was triggered by anger, initially, but I'm pretty sure it's different for different witches…"

"Oh, okay – I'm not really sure what my triggers are yet, but my telekinesis was just this morning when a plate was about to fall to the ground. I just sort of reached out to grab it… I dunno. And I turned into a horse after wishing I was someone else… I don't really –"

Jordan caught sight of something in her peripheral vision and looked. It turned out that it was Drake, talking to someone. A girl. Blonde. Leggy. And she looked to be hanging onto his every word. Jordan glared at her, silently boring holes in her head. She turned back to the four witches, her stomach churning. She looked down, willing herself not to overreact and do something she might regret, not knowing the extent of her powers.

"Jordan?" Lizzie asked concernedly. "Are you all right? You aren't getting sick, too, are you?"

"Uh… No, I'm fine," Jordan said, looking down and squeezing her hands into fists.

"Is it a guy?" Paige asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Jeez, Paige, can't you see she's trying to calm herself down?" Phoebe demanded, smacking Paige on the arm.

"No… it's fine. Yeah, just this guy I met," Jordan said, biting her bottom lip.

"Where?" Paige asked, searching the crowd.

"The guy over there, with the blonde who's almost on top of him… the girl in the pink sparkly dress," Jordan said, still staring at the wall.

"Oh," Piper said, raising her eyebrows. She looked sideways at Jordan, smiled faintly, and jokingly offered, "I could blow her up for you, if you wanted."

Jordan laughed mirthlessly. "I think I'll just go over there and talk to him. Can I, Aunt Lizzie?" she asked, looking hopefully to her aunt.

"Of course, dear," Lizzie said, nodding and looking mildly serious for once. "We'll just go look for Lyn and James, I suppose…"

"Okay, thanks. I'll catch up with you three, okay?" Jordan smiled at them and then walked toward Drake and the 'prissy bitch,' as she had mentally dubbed her. She didn't know why she was feeling like this; I mean, she had made out with the guy once and she had given him her number. It wasn't like they were anything. It was probably just some one-time thing.

"Hey. I got away from them," she said to Drake, flashing a coy smile.

For his part, Drake did indeed look happy to see Jordan, flashing another brilliant smile like when he had asked her to dance. "Nice. They're not mad at you, are they?"

"Oh, you shouldn't run off from your aunt and her friends like that, though!" said the blond girl, wrinkling her nose. "They threw this whole party so you could meet new people, isn't it kind of _rude_?"

"They don't mind. They went off to look for my sister," she said, smiling at Drake before turning her head to the blonde. "I already met someone. Hi, I'm Jordan – and _you_ are?" she asked, smiling sweetly enough to turn someone diabetic.

"Something wrong with your sister?" Drake asked immediately, sounding politely concerned.

The blonde girl, though, just gave a sort of half smile, half who-do-you-think-_you're_-talking-to expression and announced with a shake of her head to toss back her long blonde hair, "Tammy McKay. Of course, _everyone_ knows who _you_ are, right now. It's the talk of the town, the little country girls coming to the big city." Somehow she managed to make it sound condescending as she asked, "So are you finding San Francisco to your liking, so far?"

"She's fine… Just _avoiding_ some people. My aunt wants to find her to introduce her to some people," Jordan said to Drake before looking, once again, to the 'prissy bitch.' "You know, I am. Thank you _so much_ for asking!" She smiled and went on, "So, are you in the high school? Or the middle school?" Somehow she managed to keep her smile intact.

Drake laughed. "I'm guessing she's not been in town long enough to have an ex – just somebody who she didn't get along with?"

Tammy shook back her hair again and gave a very false, very forced sort of half chuckle, half scoff. "Oh, I'm a junior this year, honey. Drake and I are gonna be in the same homeroom class, with Mr. Daniels," she announced, grabbing Drake's arm and squeezing it while flashing a too-white grin.

"Oh? Me too! I skipped a couple of grades. I'll be in the same homeroom with you guys! At least I've got someone there who'll be able to show me the ropes. What classes are _you_ taking, Tammy?" Jordan asked, shifting her weight onto her right foot.

Tammy made that strange half-chuckle-half-scoff sound again and rolled her eyes. "Uh… the required ones? Oh, and cheerleading. I'm head cheerleader."

Drake looked from Jordan to Tammy and back, and then blinked. "Uh… hi?" he said uncertainly.

"Oh, that's great. I'm taking all Honors classes. Plus a few extra-curriculars," Jordan said, cocking her head to the side as she side of her mouth turned up in a half smile, half smirk.

Drake's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa. Nice."

Tammy huffed, obviously annoyed that he found Honors classes 'nice,' but not being head cheerleader. "I _could've_ skipped a grade," she said, crossing her arms. "Only my parents didn't want me to, because then I'd be the youngest in the year and everyone would think I was some sort of _freak_." Tossing her nose in the air, she abruptly turned around and walked off into the crowd.

Jordan sighed. "Nice girl… really." She smirked.

Drake raised his eyebrows and smirked, too. "Are you talking to me now?" he asked wryly, but with a hint of laughter in his eyes.

Jordan rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm talking to you…" She pushed away a feeling in the pit of her stomach and grinned, leaning against the nearby wall, almost as if having a verbal sparring match had tired her out.

"Hey, you okay?" Drake asked with genuine concern, reading the weariness in her eyes. "Your aunt tire you out, taking you around to see all her friends?"

"Nope. Just naturally tired. So, how do you know the blonde?" Jordan asked, looking him in the eyes and searching for any sign of a lie. _I swear, if I made out with him and made a fool of myself giving my cell number to some guy who already has a girlfriend… I will kick my own ass…_ she thought to herself.

"Tammy," Drake supplied, and then he smiled reassuringly, obviously having read her searching look wrong. "Don't worry about her. She likes to show off a bit, but she probably won't be so bad once you've been here for a while and there isn't so much attention on you and your sister."

Jordan smiled. "I look forward to that day. Very much." She sighed and looked around, really wanting to kiss him again but not wanting to ask. _Okay, Jordan… Control yourself,_ she thought to herself. But that didn't really work out so well, because she looked back at Drake with a coy smile on her face and said, "So what do you say we go someplace quieter?" _Screw controlling myself…_

Drake's eyebrows raised slightly, but the corner of his lip twitched, too. "I'm pretty sure you know what I say. But won't your aunt get suspicious if you just disappear, though?"

"Probably." Jordan smirked and started off toward the stairs. "You coming?" she asked, smirk widening.

For a moment, Drake seemed to consider this, shifting his weight back onto his heels like he was teetering on the edge of a precipice. Then a smirk pulled up the corner of his mouth, too, and he shot a quick look around the room to be sure no one was looking before following her to the staircase.

"Lyn, seriously. She can't be that bad. And she seems pretty preoccupied talking very animatedly to some guy," James pointed out, turning around to look at Lyn.

"Oh, hi, James! Have you seen Lyn?" Phoebe asked, looking above the crowd.

"Shh!" Lyn hissed, looking out at Phoebe and then dodging behind James again as Brittany turned toward the sound of her name. "What part of 'be quiet, I'm hiding from somebody' does nobody get, dadburn it?"

Lizzie, being Lizzie, just laughed. "It's nearly nine o'clock, anyway, dear. I'll just go say goodbye to Rachel and Carla – once they start to leave, the others will get the idea, and then we can talk without so many interruptions."

"Um… Carla wouldn't be that guy Drake's mom, would she?" Lyn asked slowly, peeking over James's shoulder.

Lizzie blinked. "Why, yes, dear; why?"

"Uh… no reason," Lyn said, ducking back behind James and pulling her cell phone out of her purse. As she typed out a text to Jordan, she shook her head. _She owes me so big after tonight she's never getting out from under it…_

Jordan and Drake sat on the second floor couch, lips locked in a heated kiss. Jordan's hands were tangled in his hair, his were caressing the back of her neck. All of a sudden, Jordan's phone vibrated on the table in front of her. She pulled back and opened her eyes. "Phew… God, you're good at that," she said, grabbing her phone and opening it. There was a text from Lyn.

"'Party over, Drake's mom coming – don't get busted'?" she read out loud, then looked up at Drake.

"Oh, jeez, is it that late already?" Drake asked incredulously, tugging back his sleeve and checking his watch.

"Apparently… Crap. I so owe Lyn… Come on, we gotta go," Jordan said, getting up and running to the stairs.

"Tell your sister thanks from me, and I owe her, too," Drake agreed as he followed her down the stairs. "If my dad found out, and he'd kill me…"

"I will… Wait, your dad's here?" Jordan asked as they finally got back to the ground floor.

"No, thank God – but if Mom found out, so would he, trust me," Drake murmured darkly as he looked around the room. "There she is," he added, nodding toward a petite blonde woman in a deep blue dress. "I'd better go…" She shifted his weight almost uncomfortably for a second, then flashed a hopeful smile and asked, "So, uh… you gave me your number and all, so… when should I call you?"

"Anytime." Jordan smiled back at him and looked around, making sure his mother wasn't looking at them, and kissed him quickly. "Talk to you later, Drake." And with that, she walked away.

"Phew, finally!" Lyn sighed in relief as Brittany followed her father out of the door. They were the last of the guests to leave, so now Lyn leaned tiredly back against the wall. "I swear, if they _do_ stick me in a room with that girl and she goes missing… I had nooooothing to do with it."

Jordan laughed. "I'll remember that."

A few seconds later, the Halliwell sisters and Lizzie came into the room, followed closely by James.

"And the interrogation continues," Lyn muttered under her breath, not loud enough for anyone but Jordan to hear.

Jordan laid her head on Lyn's shoulder. "I'll answer the questions, sis. You just lie there and sleep with your eyes open." Lyn rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch; Jordan smirked and followed her, leaning against the arm of the couch and putting her legs in Lyn's lap, grinning.

James sat down next to Lyn, laughing at Jordan's and Lyn's antics.

"So. Wanna show us your powers, Jordan?" Paige asked eagerly.

Phoebe rolled her eyes and shoved Paige in the shoulder as they sat down on the couch opposite them.

"While she's half on top of me?" Lyn asked with raised eyebrows. "No thank you. I don't much fancy getting squashed by a horse."

"That's a good point," Piper agreed, nodding. "But if she can't control it yet, there's no telling what she might turn into."

"Fine." Jordan got up and stood in front of the door to the kitchen. "Okay…" She concentrated really hard on that same feeling she'd felt before she turned into a horse. She squeezed her eyes shut and thought of a house cat. A few seconds later, a pain ripped through her body and she felt herself falling.

"Oh!" Lizzie gasped, her eyebrows shooting up. "Dear me. Yes, I can definitely see how that would frighten you, not knowing about anything."

"I'm pretty sure we both thought we were going crazy," Lyn murmured, eyeing Jordan warily. "Honestly, I still kinda wonder that, a little…"

Jordan mewled and jumped up on the table between the two couches. She grinned a cat grin and jumped onto Lyn's lap.

"Well, that's cool," Paige said, grinning at the cat.

"Seriously…" Phoebe agreed.

"And kind of ironic," Lyn murmured, wrinkling her eyebrows at cat!Jordan. "Y'know, JJ, you look… a whole lot like Clementine…"

"Who?" Piper asked, blinking.

"Mom's cat," Lyn said quietly, still looking down at Jordan. "She disappeared the day they died, we never found her. Probably ran and got lost in the woods… Lot of wolves and coyotes in the woods… Though I'm starting to think that's not the real reason Dad was always so worried when I'd go for a walk and not come back 'til after dark…"

Cat!Jordan cocked her head to one side and jumped off Lyn's lap and back over to a sizeable open space. She concentrated hard on turning back into herself, and the very familiar pain wracked her body. She opened her eyes and looked down, seeing her own legs again. "Wow, that was pretty cool," she said, grinning.

"Yeah, it was," Paige said, mirroring Jordan's grin.

"You did wonderfully!" Lizzie cried, hugging Jordan tightly.

"How about you?" Piper asked, looking at Lyn. "Can you trigger yours yet?"

"Oh," Lyn said, turning slightly pale and dropping her gaze to her lap. "W-well… I don't really…" She swallowed hard and closed her eyes. "I don't want to."

"Oh. Well, it's fine, if you can't," Piper tried to reassure her. "It can take a long time to gain a real level of control –"

"That's not it," Lyn interrupted, opening her eyes and glaring at her knees, her fists clenching at her sides. "_I don't want to_, okay? It's not – it's not like Jordan's, it's not that simple! The part that takes control is _not_ doing it, not feeling – just never mind. I don't want to do this, I don't want to talk about it, I don't want to think about it. Just stop."

Piper looked taken aback, and blinked twice with her eyebrows raised. Finally she said slowly, "Okay…"

But Lyn's body was already shifting out of view beneath her own gaze, and it only made her feel worse that she was still doing that, still losing control. And no one had even mentioned it this time, it was just that stupid girl from earlier and how Lyn had tried not to feel it and now she couldn't push it back any more.

"No, it's not," she hissed; and she got up, too, then, and the last of her outline faded into invisibility as she headed for the door.

Jordan sighed. "She has to think about home… our parents… how much she wants to just go back…"

"Oh," Paige said. "Sorry…"

Phoebe looked uncomfortable. "I guess that's why she's so upset. She's not really angry, Piper, just… Well, you remember how painful it was when Grams died. We all lashed out like that."

"I see," Lizzie said slowly. "I guess that's why she didn't want to tell me what her trigger was, isn't it?"

Piper sighed. "I'm sorry, but I didn't know…"

"It's fine. I'll leave her alone for a while. In the meantime… I wanna turn into something a little more exotic…" Jordan grinned devilishly and pictured a leopard.


	5. Developments

Disclaimer: Neither Jordan nor I own Charmed.

A/N: Me: So even though Jordan is holed away at a family reunion thing, we still post another chapter! How is that possible, you may ask? … Well, because we're weird and insane that way. :P

Jordan: And obsessed. Don't forget obsessed.

Me: Very true. Writing is addictive.

Jordan: And so's reviewing, if anyone ever will… -coughnotsosubtlehintcough-

* * *

**Chapter Five – Developments**

Jordan woke up the next morning, before Lyn came in. Immediately, her mind started swimming with possible reasons why she didn't wake up to her sister screaming at her to get up or else.

She checked her clock. "One thirty!?" she muttered to herself before running into Lyn's room and finding it empty.

"Lyn!? Lyn! Where are you!?" she yelled, running downstairs still in her pajamas. It had been an exceptionally hot day, and she was only wearing a tank top and a pair of boy shorts, which could hardly count as clothing. "Lyn!?"

Lyn looked up when her sister reached the foot of the stairs on the first floor. She was sitting cross-legged on the couch, dressed in cutoff jeans and a plain indigo t-shirt, her hair loose and still falling in tangled waves into her face. There was a pencil in her hand and her sketch pad lay open on her knees.

"Yeah?" she asked in a low, quiet voice, closing the sketchbook quickly.

"You – and I – why didn't you – why didn't you wake me up!? It's already past one thirty!" Jordan yelled at Lyn.

James heard yelling between Jordan and Lyn and walked in, stopping when he saw Jordan in basically just underwear and Lyn fully dressed, sitting on the couch.

Lyn shrugged and traced a random design on the front of the sketchbook with her finger. "I don't know. You just yell at me and kick me when I do, what does it matter?"

"But… it's our thing…" Jordan said in a pathetic, whimper-like voice.

James frowned, standing in the doorway as he watched the two sisters.

Lyn sighed and shook her head, then brushed her unruly hair back behind her ears and met Jordan's gaze sadly. "Fine, then," she said quietly. "I'll wake you up tomorrow, if it's that important. I'm sorry."

"No… It's fine. You don't have to. I think I'm gonna go back to bed…" And with that, Jordan walked back up the stairs.

"Hey… you okay?" James asked, walking over to Lyn and sitting down next to her.

"I'll be fine," she murmured without looking up, raking her fingernail against the side of the pencil so hard that it scraped part of the orange coating of paint off and laid bare the wood beneath.

"You're obviously not fine… but, I'll just leave you alone," James said, getting up and walking back into the kitchen.

Lyn opened the sketch pad again and caught the hand with the pencil in it in her hair. As she gazed down at the sketched replica of the front of the three-bedroom house in Pierce that she had grown up in, she whispered, "I didn't say I _am_ fine, though, did I?"

Jordan's eyes opened to the sound of her cell phone ringing. She grabbed it and flipped it open and mumbled into it, "Mmhmm?"

"Uh, hey, Jordan…"

"Yeah… that's me. Who are you?" Jordan mumbled back.

There was a short silence and then the voice replied uncertainly, "Um… It's, uh, Drake… from the party last night…?"

"Dr – oh, my God!" Jordan rolled off her bed and yelped. "Oh, yeah! Uh – sorry. I just woke up. I… sleep a lot and I didn't recognize your voice over the phone."

The sound of Drake's chuckle, at least, sounded the same over the phone. "Asleep at two o'clock in the afternoon? Did you really get so tired out last night?"

Jordan laughed. "Well, what can I say? Last night was… very… eventful."

"Mm, yeah, 'eventful' could sum it up. I guess you didn't meet all your aunt's friends like she meant for you to, though. Did she get suspicious, afterward?" he asked a little tensely.

"Nope, she was preoccupied. My sister was busy hiding from somebody and my aunt was trying to get everyone to leave so she could talk to her about something… So, what's up?" Jordan asked, trying to change the subject off of her and her sister.

"Good," Drake sighed. Then his voice changed and you could almost hear him smirking as he added, "You know, Mom asked if I got a chance to talk to you last night. I told her yeah, I talked to you and Tammy for a while. I guess it's a good thing she didn't ask about the rest of the party, huh? I couldn't even tell you more than three or four of the songs they played."

Jordan laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. So… why did you call? Not that I'm not glad you did," she clarified, hopeful that he had called to ask her out on a date.

"Well, I, uh…" Drake paused to clear his throat and continued, "See, my mom's going out of town to a party this Friday, so I'll be in town by myself… and I kind of wondered if, uh, you might… wanna go get dinner somewhere, maybe see a movie?" He sounded hopeful but at the same time wary, as if he half expected her to say 'no, go jump in a lake.'

Jordan jumped to her feet and screamed a silent 'Yes!' before grinning and biting her lip. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot," she said, trying to contain her excitement.

Drake's voice was half relieved, half excited, too, now that he knew the answer to his question. "Great! So I – I'll pick you up at five, then?"

Jordan smiled wider. "Yeah! I'll see you then. I'm looking forward to it! So yeah, I'll see you then," she almost squealed into the phone.

There was another short silence before Drake asked slowly, "It, uh… Your aunt won't mind, will she…?"

"No, I'm sure she won't. I'll ask her when she gets home, though," Jordan answered, leaning against her bedroom wall.

"Oh. Well, uh, if she – er, if she says no, you'll call me back, right? Do you need my number, or will it be in your phone, now?"

"It's saved into my recent calls, and I'll add you into my contacts. And I'll call you if she says no. If she says yes, I'll see you on Friday," Jordan said, grinning.

"Okay, that's good," Drake replied, but he sounded uncertain again. "So, uh, I'll… I'll be there at five, unless I hear from you."

"Okay. I can't wait." Jordan smiled, hearing his uncertainty.

There was a faint sound that might have been either a poorly stifled laugh or a sigh. Drake's voice was still quiet but it sounded like he was smiling, too, as he said, "Me, either."

Lyn sighed heavily, holding the sketchbook to her chest and hiding her face in her hands. She never had gone to bed last night – she had been too afraid of what she would dream about when she did. And so she had spent a good seven or eight hours shifting between visibility and invisibility like a badly tuned radio switches between channels; and now she was just tired, too tired to fight or argue any more.

"What do you _want_, James?" she asked almost desperately, looking up at him through her fingers. "Just tell me what you want me to say and I'll say it and you can stop _looking at me like that_."

"I just don't like seeing you sad. What's the matter?" James asked, leaning in the doorway.

"You know what's the matter," Lyn said weakly, closing her eyes and massaging her forehead. "You're not stupid, James, you don't have to ask stupid questions. Are you really gonna make me tell you what you already know?"

"Lyn, if you don't talk about it, you're never going to feel any better," James said.

"Just don't," Lyn said wearily, fighting back the familiar lump in her throat again. "I shouldn't _get_ to feel better, okay? I shouldn't get to feel anything at all – I shouldn't even be here. So just stop worrying about me, because I don't deserve it."

"Don't talk about yourself that way, Lyn," James said, clenching his teeth.

"Why?" Lyn asked quietly, finally meeting his gaze. "Give me one good reason I'm wrong. Tell me why it even matters what I think now. Obviously what I think doesn't have any effect at all on what actually happens, doesn't matter anyway, so _who cares_?"

"I care, Lyn! God, can't you see that you mean more than what you're making yourself out to be!?" James demanded, pushing off from the doorframe and moving to stand in front of her. And her eyes remained locked on his, but their expression didn't change. No shock that he was suddenly half yelling, no fear that he was towering over her looking angry, and none of the anger that usually flared up when someone challenged her point of view. Just sorrow and a sort of detached form of confusion.

"Why?" she asked again, her voice reflecting the expression in her eyes perfectly, though there was suddenly a half desperate plea for understanding in her tone. "Why do you always try so hard to make me see something else? Why does it matter to you what I think? Why do you even care?"

"Because I care about _you_, Lyn, that's why!" he declared, and he felt a sudden weight being lifted off his shoulders.

She did look surprised, then. Shock and confusion and a hint of disbelief battled in her green eyes as she stared up at him, and a crease appeared between her eyebrows. It was a moment before she could make her voice respond, and when it did, she spoke in a shaky voice that was barely a whisper: "I… I didn't think you…"

Suddenly it made sense – the way he had always seemed to show up when she was upset, why he got so frustrated when she wouldn't talk to him, the fact that he always tried so hard to make her feel better or make her smile, even stupid little things like why he was the only one who hadn't openly laughed at her for hiding behind him at the party last night. And she felt like an idiot for not seeing even one of those signs for what they meant earlier.

A hint of color rose in Lyn's cheekbones then, and she swallowed hard, but the corners of her mouth twitched ever so slightly. "I… probably should've figured that out earlier in this little discussion, shouldn't I…?"

"I wasn't really going to tell you. You already had enough problems. I didn't want to add to them with my stupid crush. And I understand if you just wanna forget I ever said anything and just go back to the way things were…" James trailed off, a slight blush creeping up on his own cheeks.

Lyn flinched and closed her eyes for a second, and then opened them as she stood up, shaking her head. "If there's one thing I've learned in the past month, James, it's that you can never go back." She smiled faintly and met his gaze before adding emphatically, "But sometimes you don't _want_ to."

"Does that mean you… feel the same?" he asked slowly, looking down at his shoes.

Lyn reached out and put a hand on his arm, still looking up at his downcast eyes. Her voice was still very quiet as she said slowly, "I guess I wasn't going to tell you, either. Partly because I didn't think I knew how… but mostly because I didn't even wanna think about what would happen if I lost you, too."

James looked up at her touch, and his voice was quiet, too, as he assured her, "You're not going to lose me, Lyn." There was a soft smile on his features as he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. Her breath caught in her throat, but as her eyes slowly closed and she returned the kiss, she had already decided this was well worth momentarily forgetting how to breathe.

The door slammed loudly as Lizzie walked into the house, nearly bouncing (as usual) in her four-inch heels. "Girls? James?" she called, looking around. "Are you upstairs?"

A shriek was heard as Jordan came bounding down the stairs, and James pulled back quickly, looking around to be sure that Lizzie hadn't seen them. "Sorry…" he said, looking at Lyn apologetically.

"Y-yeah," she breathed, also looking a little edgily toward the door, a blush spread lightly across her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. She more than understood; she just hoped Jordan wouldn't get suspicious at the sudden color in her face or the fact that she had seemingly randomly snapped out of her horrible mood from earlier. But Lyn's right eyebrow twitched upward as her sister came barreling down the stairs like the top two floors were on fire.

Quite predictably, Lizzie laughed when Jordan came running down the stairs so fast that they nearly collided. Just as foreseeable, Lizzie excused this action by hugging her niece. "Well, it's nice to see you, too," she said, grinning, "but I don't imagine that's what you're so excited about, is it?"

Jordan's grin got impossibly wider. "I got asked on a date by this really awesome guy and I really wanna go but I wanted to get your permission first!" she said so quickly that it all jumbled together.

Lizzie laughed again. "Was it someone you met at the party?" she asked, obviously happy, too, at the thought that her efforts had worked on the behalf of at least one of her nieces.

"Yeah. His name's Drake. You introduced us?" Jordan confirmed, her excitement mounting.

"Oh, Carla's son!" Lizzie cried, and her answer was apparent in her voice even before she gave it. "Of course you can go! When is it!? Where's he taking you!?" she began the barrage of questions sounding more like an enthusiastic sister than an aunt.

Jordan started shrieking. "It's on Friday! He's taking me to dinner and a movie! Oh my gosh, I can't wait!" she squealed.

Lizzie's eyes went wide instantly. "Ooh, do you know where you're going? Do you have something to wear or do you want to go shopping!?"

"He didn't want to make all the plans before he knew whether you would say yes or not. I've been looking for something to wear, but I can't find anything just right," Jordan replied, her brow wrinkling nervously.

"Then of course we'll have to go find something!" Lizzie squealed excitedly. "There's this gorgeous little boutique on fifth, I just know they'd have something perfect – oh, but what time is it?" she cut herself off, looking at her silver wristwatch. "Oh, it's nearly five… We have a little while yet. Do you want to go to today, or make a day of it tomorrow?"

"Ooh! Let's go tomorrow!" Jordan grinned and hugged her aunt tightly. "Thank you _so_ much!" She breathed in and out slowly, trying hard to calm her erratic heartbeat.

"Oh, of course you're welcome!" Lizzie said, nearly breaking a few ribs as she hugged her niece back tightly. "Let's see, we can look at that boutique, maybe the shop across the street, too, before lunch…" And she dragged Jordan off into the kitchen, still plotting under her breath.


	6. Makings of a Perfect Day

It seemed like it had taken forever for Friday to roll around. Jordan and Lizzie had gone to a few little shops and had gotten a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a blue babydoll top, and a pair of mid-calf length boots. However, no matter how well dressed Jordan was or how confident she had seemed the day before, it wouldn't help her stop hyperventilating.

"What--if--he--decides--he--likes--the--blonde--bimbo?!" Jordan managed to wheeze.

"Then I'll get my sai, go all weapons-kata on them both, and hang them upside down from a palm tree as a warning to everyone else not to mess with my little sister," Lyn answered without missing a beat. Then she scoffed and added with a smirk, "Anyway, from what you've been telling me, doesn't seem like you have much competition. If he was ignoring her when she was turning on the charm, she doesn't matter to him that much."

"But--she's--blonde--and--leggy! And--I'm--brunette--and--PLAIN!" She said 'plain' as if she were talking about something completely revolting.

Lyn rolled her eyes and wheeled her sister around to face the mirror again. "All right, lookit. That is not plain! The day you are considered plain is the day I'm considered sane, mkay?"

"You're just trying to make me-- feel better!" She managed to slow her breathing down and pull on her jeans and boots, tucking the aforementioned jeans into the aforementioned boots and zipping them up. Her hair was done. Her makeup was done, and she finally managed to finish getting dressed. She stood up straight and bit her bottom lip, "So...?" She held her arms out, a crease between her eyebrows.

"So you look like you stepped out of one of those magazines you obsess over," Lyn said, chuckling and going to stand next to Jordan so that their reflections were side-by-side in the mirror. Lyn was a good four inches taller, her hair brushed out but basically left to its own devices (as was proven by the irregular wave and that one evil strand that liked to hang down in front of her right eye), and she wore no makeup. She was dressed in a simple white halter top with blue jean capris and tan sandals that would probably disappear off her feet as soon as Drake and Jordan were gone. Where Jordan was concerned about style, Lyn cared more about whether she felt comfortable in her clothes.

"I mean, seriously," she went on, nudging Jordan in the side with her elbow. "He's gonna fall over when he sees you." Then she smirked and joked, "Well, that's if my random not-so-stylishness doesn't scare him off first."

Jordan smiled; then her smiled dimmed, "Why are you acting so different..." She squinted suspiciously at Lyn.

Lyn blinked her confusion and raised an eyebrow. "Different? How so?"

"Well almost all this week you had a bitchface that wouldn't go away... then I leave you alone to talk to Lizzie and come back to see you all smiles and rainbows... It's James, isn't it! Hah!" Jordan laughed triumphantly, her eyes wide.

Lyn made a face. "I am not, and have never been, 'all smiles and rainbows,'" she growled, but just then was interrupted by the sound of a car pulling into the driveway. Her smirk broadened and she added, "But something tells me you might be when you realize what that sound just was!"

"What?! What was is?" Jordan ran to the window, looking out, her eyes going wide when she saw the unfamiliar car and the very familiar guy getting out of it. "CRAP! He's here! Lyn, I'm gonna trip or say something stupid or something!" Jordan resumed her hyperventilating.

Lyn rolled her eyes and started pushing Jordan toward the stairs. "No, you're not; you're just freaking. Trust me, I did the same thing before my first date, and it was fine. Yours'll be fine, too. But, y'know, it is rude to stand here, so don't just turn to stone now!"

"No, Lyn! I can't go down there! I'm gonna do something stupid! I'll freak him out or something! I can't go!" Her breath caught in her throat when she heard the doorbell ring, "No! Oh no!"

"Okay," Lyn said quietly, crossing her arms and facing Jordan in full big-sister mode. "You just need to calm down and be yourself. The only thing you could possibly do to make yourself look stupid is to be freaking out so much that you're not acting like you. The only thing, you hear me? Being you worked perfectly well before, and if he likes you, he's going to be just as nervous. So are you gonna leave him standing at the door and wondering if he's already done something wrong?"

Jordan frowned and her eyes got shifty, "No... I guess. You really think I look fine?" She looked down at herself.

"You look great," Lyn assured her, resisting an urge to roll her eyes again. "Really. Not just because I'm your sister and I have to say so." She paused for a second before adding, "But you really need to get downstairs. Hopefully James answered the door, because otherwise blondie's been standing out there for two or three minutes now."

"Oh! Crap! Fine..." Jordan grabbed Lyn's wrist and pulled her out of their room, pushing her in front of her, "Come with me?" She smiled her sweetest smile and gave her best puppy dog eyes.

Lyn just shook her head, chuckling low under her breath, and muttered, "All right, all right... but I stop at the door, y'know. You can't take me on your date with you."

"Fine..." Jordan and Lyn preceded to walk down the stairs, Jordan being towered over by Lyn.

"Finally... Took you long enough!" James muttered, turning around to see just Lyn. "Where's Jordan?" He asked Lyn.

Lyn blinked and looked confused. "Uh... right behind me..."

Drake, too, looked confused, until Lyn stepped to the side and Jordan was revealed to be standing a foot or so behind her. Since she was nearly half a foot shorter than her sister, Jordan had somehow managed to remain hidden without even realizing it. But now that he could see her, Drake's eyebrows shot up and his expression reflexively changed into a smile.

Fighting back a smirk (and not entirely succeeding), Lyn took the blame for Jordan's slight tardiness by making the excuse, "Sorry for holding you two up -- there's still a lot to do, you know, with moving and all."

James smirked slightly and walked over to Lyn and Jordan, walking behind her and nudging her toward Drake. She went willingly and smiled, "Hey..." She said.

"Hey," Drake replied, his smile broadening. Then he seemed to think of something, and his green eyes flickered toward James and Lyn for a moment before switching back to Jordan. His voice was a little more tentative as he asked slowly, "Are you, uh, ready to go...?"

"Yep!" She grabbed her purse off the hook next to the door, "Ok... won't be back late, won't do anything illegal, blah blah blah... Bye guys!" Jordan said, grinning and looking up at Drake, nodding her head to the door.

Lyn's smirk faltered only slightly, but she quickly recovered a grin and added, "Durn it. I forgot to get a rifle and sit here cleaning it, like Dad always did on first dates."

Drake blinked at her for a second, but then shook his head and smiled at Jordan again. "I promise there'll be no need for rifles," he assured her as he took a step back and held open the front door for her.

Jordan grinned and walked past him, yelling a 'later!' to James and Lyn before walking out and turning around, cocking her head to the side as she examined Drake. Her right eyebrow rose and a crease appeared between her eyebrows as she took in Drake's jeans and jacket with a black button-up underneath. 'God,' She thought to herself, 'he makes everything look good...'

Now that he was out of the house and Jordan was with him, Drake seemed to slowly switch to a different suspicion. After closing the door to the house and starting down the driveway with Jordan, he looked sideways at her and asked slowly, "So... who's the guy?"

Jordan laughed out loud, noticing his blatant possessive tone, "He's my sister's boyfriend. Or, well... I think they are. That would explain why Lyn's in such a good mood." She looked over at him with a half smile on her face.

"Oh," Drake said, his tone lightening at once. "Well... good for them, I guess. I'm sure he's a lucky guy." His smile reappeared as he looked sideways at her again and added, "But I'm luckier, getting you to go out with me today."

"More like I'm lucky." Jordan rolled her eyes and turned her head toward the car in front of her, finally seeing it for the first time. "Whoa..." She whispered to herself, drinking in the beauty of the car in front of her. It was a cherry red 1969 GTO, and Jordan was sure it looked mint condition.

Drake really couldn't miss her reaction, and his smile only broadened. "She's a beauty, isn't she?" he asked with a hint of pride. Then he switched his gaze back to Jordan and the smile softened a little as he added, "Second most beautiful thing in this driveway, right now."

Jordan closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, willing herself not to turn beet red, though she didn't succeed, "You enjoy making me blush, don't you..."

Drake just chuckled and opened the passenger side door for her. "I enjoy making you feel special," he corrected. "Because you are, and you deserve it."

-----

It was a short twenty-minute drive later, and after about a dozen attempts from Jordan to get Drake to tell her where they were going, that they pulled into a small but fairly impressive-looking little restaurant tucked away between a fine jewelry store and a knick-knack shop on Eighth Avenue. Drake smiled broadly as he parked and leapt out quickly to open Jordan's door for her again. "Now, aren't you glad I didn't tell you?"

Jordan rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah..." She switched her gaze to the restaurant, "This awesome, though!" She looked back to him, beaming, as she got out of the car.

Drake laughed as he closed the door behind her, and his smile was more confident again as he agreed, "I think you'll like this place. They have really great food, but because it's such a small place, there aren't as many people around, you know?"

"Yeah... this is awesome!" Jordan smiled at him, her smile quickly turning into a smirk as she grabbed his hand and pulled him slightly towards the door.

"Awesome, is it?" Drake repeated, and he couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm. Who really could? He loved that she was happy to be with him. And that she was happy, in general, actually. "You haven't even been inside yet! And let me get that..."

As he spoke, he pulled his hand away and stepped forward to open the restaurant door for her, as well.

Jordan bit her lip and walked forward, pecking Drake on the cheek at she passed him, grinning. Her attention was drawn from Drake as she took in the scene before her. "Whoa..." She breathed, "This is amazing!"

Her eyes flitted from table to table, which each had a few candles, and a centerpiece set with flowers. The walls were covered with an elegant red wallpaper and the floor was a glossy wood. A crystal chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, illuminating the entire room and sending sparkles all around it. "Just... whoa!" Jordan's mouth, it seemed, was permanently stuck open.

Drake just grinned as a server approached. "Wait 'til you taste the food."

---

"You're going out barefoot?" James asked, blinking, as Lyn headed for the back door.

"Don't worry, Mr. Babysitter, I'm not going far," she said, rolling her eyes.

"That's not what I meant," James said. "But it's ninety degrees in the shade and you'll be walking on hot rocks and sand."

Lyn chuckled. "I ran barefoot at camp on gravel and asphalt. I think I'll survive."

James looked doubtful. "You're sure you don't want shoes? I could orb and get them in ten seconds flat."

Rolling her eyes but looking amused, Lyn just stepped outside and onto the poured concrete walk. James winced and followed after her, half expecting to have to heal burns on her feet at any moment. However, she kept walking as if she didn't notice the probably 120-degree surface beneath her and he just kept going too, looking bewildered.

"So first you go all whitelighter-sensing to know where I am all the time, now you're just straight-up following me?" Lyn asked, shooting him an amused look over her shoulder. "I'm not sure if this is an improvement or what."

"Would you rather I not stick around?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I didn't say that," Lyn recanted quickly, color tingeing her high cheekbones as she averted her gaze straight ahead again.

James grinned and altered the pace of his steps until his stride was even with hers. "So does that mean you don't mind if I'm around, after all?"

Lyn chuckled and couldn't help smiling up at him. "Okay, so I admit I could've had a worse babysitter. But tell Aunt Lizzie that and I'll kick your whitelighter butt."

James fell silent then and his eyes strayed back to the house. Lizzie… He would have to tell her about him and Lyn eventually. He almost felt like he was betraying Lizzie's trust, coming into her house to protect her nieces and not being able to control the way he felt about Lyn.

But… James looked back to Lyn and knew he would never be able to do that. She was so strong and beautiful and fearless and amazing. Everything about her made him want to get closer. Her smile, her wit, the green fire in her eyes, the way her hair fell down her back and was tossed by the wind so that the ivory skin of her upper back gleamed in the sun…

James was letting himself get distracted again. Shaking his head, he pushed the thought from his mind and remembered why he was here in the first place.

"How far are you walking?" James asked. He almost walked into Lyn as she stopped in the middle of the green lawn behind Lizzie's house and shrugged.

"Here's as good as anywhere. I told you I wouldn't go far; I just need out of the house sometimes. I don't do so well being cooped up inside 24/7."

"I can't blame you," James said, smiling. "Everyone needs some fresh air every now and then."

"Fresh air and freedom," Lyn agreed, sighing heavily and lying down on her back in the grass. Her eyes closed against the sun and James couldn't remember ever seeing anything more beautiful.

Silently he lay down beside her, but his own eyes remained locked on her. Sometimes, like now, she could look so peaceful. After everything that had happened to her recently, he hated to say anything that might disturb that. She so deserved a little peace and relaxation.

But James still had to know. The biggest problem was figuring out how to ask. Finally he just said slowly, "On Tuesday… before your aunt came home… you didn't just say what you did because you felt obligated or something?"

Lyn's eyes opened in surprise, and the sunlight brought out the faint blue tint around the edges of the green. It was a pale, almost icy blue; like her mother's eyes, and like Lizzie's.

She nearly denied it without even thinking, but then a constricting feeling began in her chest as she considered what he had said. Maybe he was hoping she had, so that he wouldn't be obligated, either. She tried not to let her doubt show in her voice or her eyes as she asked quietly, "Did _you_?"

"Of course not!" James said instantly, rising onto one elbow to look down at her intently. "I just mean… Lyn, you were upset and I just wanted to be sure that wasn't why. I wouldn't take advantage of you like that."

Lyn smiled then, mentally berating herself for being a paranoid freak. "I meant what I said," she admitted softly, unable to tear her gaze from his deep blue eyes. "I didn't want to come here because of everything I was leaving behind. Everything I knew, basically. And I took that out on you when I shouldn't have… mostly because I was afraid to let myself like you." She swallowed hard and added in a near whisper, "Because everything I care about gets taken away."

James reached out toward her uncertainly, pausing for a second before brushing her hair back from her face gently. "Lyn, you've had to deal with a lot of hard things lately. A lot of things you shouldn't have had to experience. And God, I hate to see you in pain. But just because things have been bad doesn't mean they're going to stay that way. You're not doomed to be miserable, and none of this is your fault. And it's like I told you then… I'm not going anywhere. I'll be damned if I let you be hurt like that again."

Lyn smiled softly. "You really are some kind of guardian angel, aren't you?" She paused for a second then gave him a feigned accusatory look. "You aren't like this with every girl you're supposed to watch over, now, are you?"

Somehow, whenever Lyn smiled, James couldn't help but smile too. "You know, I've been around for a while… but never among any of my charges have I met anyone who could even begin to compare to you."

And when he leaned down and kissed her, Lyn really couldn't remember how to argue with that even if she had wanted to.


	7. Ends and Beginnings

"Good morning, San Francisco!" Lyn called loudly as she opened Jordan's door, came in without knocking, and proceeded to fall down on the foot of the bed just to annoy her sister. "Time to get up, sleepyhead. In the immortal words of Dad on my first day of college, 'You have a big day today!'"

Jordan pulled her pillow over her head and yelled something unintelligible into the pillow.

Lyn rolled her eyes and promptly stole said pillow. "Come on, don't make me open the curtains and blind you. It's your first day of California high school today!"

Jordan flipped on her back and said, "Yeah, and it's also the day you leave me and go to college! And, if I go to school, I'll have to deal with being the freaky freshman girl in junior classes! And that stupid blonde bimbo who keeps trying to steal Drake from me…"

"Then use your mind to throw something at said stupid blonde bimbo," Lyn suggested with a smirk. "And if anyone asks, write it off as being a matter of life and death in which you had to use your powers... because she was about to smother someone with her attitude. Or just throw something outright, that's so much more fun."

Jordan rolled her eyes. "You know what Lizzie said about using our powers. Besides, that's just the cherry on top of the entire pile of really irritating and painful crap. You're leaving, Lyn… I'll have to deal with all this stuff without you here to make some sarcastic remark."

"Well, you can always learn to make your own sarcastic remarks," Lyn said, shrugging. "Anyway, you knew I was gonna go. The only reason I never went to a university in Tennessee is because Mom wouldn't let me. Community college was supposed to get me ready for it or something insane like that, like I couldn't get a scholarship to almost any school I wanted. Though I must admit I had some of the awesomest teachers ever there... but still. Not the point."

"Yes, I'm aware. But that doesn't change the fact that you're leaving and that I'll miss you..." And with that said, Jordan practically tackled Lyn with a bear hug.

Lyn laughed and hugged back. "Alright, alright, I'll miss you, too. Now come on, you're gonna be late!"

Jordan let out a single whine and walked over to her dresser, grabbing a tunic top, skinny jeans, bra, and underwear and running into the bathroom. "Y'know, if that blonde bimbo insists that she has to steal my man, I seriously might have to maim her," she yelled from the bathroom as she got ready.

"Just as long as you call James first and let him bring me back so I can see it," Lyn said, grinning.

"Agreed," Jordan said as she stepped out of the bathroom, no makeup on and hair slightly tousled.

"Then we have an accord," Lyn said in her best pirate voice.

Jordan grinned. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I gotta wait for Drake."

"Ooh, Blondie picking you up again?" Lyn asked, grinning because she knew her sister hated that nickname.

Jordan glared at Lyn. "His _name_ is Drake, and as a matter of fact, yes, he is picking me up. And then we might go get something to eat after school." She grinned stupidly.

Lyn chuckled. "Okay, okay. You know I'm just kidding. I mean, come on! When's the next time I'm gonna get a chance to do my elder-sisterly job of annoying you?!"

"Okay, okay, fine. I will allow you to call him Blondie but just today!" Jordan said, pointing a stern finger at Lyn.

Lyn snickered. "And how are you gonna stop me, shorty?"

Jordan's face flushed. "Oh, I'll find a way, _gigantor_."

Lyn responded by hugging her sister. "You know you're gonna have to call me and let me annoy you some more later, right?"

"Definitely." Jordan smiled and squeezed her back. The doorbell rang as they parted and Jordan walked to the door to answer it, smiling as she saw Drake. "Hey, I just gotta get my bag."

"Okay," Drake said, smiling at her but looking at Lyn a little uncertainly. "Uh, hi..."

"Hi," Lyn said pleasantly, not sure why he kept looking at her like that. Did he think she wanted to talk Jordan out of seeing him or something?

Jordan grabbed her backpack and small stack of 99 cent notebooks and practically skipped back to the two, not noticing the tension in the room. "Ready?" she said to Drake.

"Of course," Drake said, regaining his smile. "Are _you_ ready? For your first day?"

Jordan shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Drake smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, you'll have fun. As much fun as it's possible to have at school, anyway."

"I hope you're right," she said as she turned to Lyn, giving her one last hug and saying, "Love you, sis," before smiling and walking out with Drake.

"Your sister's going away to school?" he guessed as they walked to his car.

"Yeah. I don't know how I'm gonna live without her." Jordan smiled sadly.

"She'll be back before you know it for Thanksgiving," Drake said reassuringly.

"Yeah, you're right." Jordan smiled brightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."

Drake beamed and opened the car door for her. "You're very welcome."

---

"Lyn, you wanna start packing?" James asked, walking in from the kitchen.

Lyn sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if she could see through it to her room. "Yeah, I guess I'd better. Seems like I just got here, though..."

"Yeah, I know. But it'll all be okay, I promise." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple then orbed them up to her room.

Lyn chuckled. "You know, there _are_ stairs that work almost as fast."

"Yeah, but when you have your own personal whitelighter, why use them?" He smirked.

"Oh, so you're _my own personal_ whitelighter now, are you?" Lyn asked, smirking too as she looked straight up at him, her lips just brushing his chin.

"Absolutely. I'm at your service." He kissed her softly.

There was a crashing sound of something heavy falling to the floor and a soft gasp from the doorway. "Oh my!"

Lyn broke away quickly, whirling to face the sound with wide eyes. There, clutching the doorframe for support with a box fallen at her feet, stood Lizzie.

James rushed over to pick up the box. "I'm so sorry, we were just... It's not what it looks like."

Lizzie's eyes were wide blue saucers as she looked at James. "It looked like you were kissing my niece."

"Well, we... uh..." James looked back to Lyn, silently asking for help.

"Aunt Lizzie, we _were_ kissing," Lyn tried to explain; there really was no denying that. "James and I are... well, I mean..."

"So soon?" Lizzie asked, blinking as if this made things much more clear. "I have a much stronger power of premonition than you or your mother, dear -- I knew you and James would become... close... I just had no idea it was happening already."

Lyn had never understood why people in cartoons fell over when they were told something but now she suddenly felt like doing it herself. "Wait, what?"

"... Oh... Well, we became close when Lyn's powers began to develop," James said, standing there awkwardly with the box in his hands.

Lyn blinked and stared at Lizzie, repeating again, "_What_?"

Lizzie laughed. "Well, it was a bit of a shock is all! I thought I was looking into a vision for a moment!"

"... So... You're okay with us?" James asked slowly.

Lizzie smiled. "You know I consider you like family, dear. Of course I want whatever will make you both happy."

James smiled happily and looked down at Lyn. "Thank you, Lizzie."

Lyn hadn't understood until she saw that smile on James's face just how worried he had been about this -- just how bad he had felt about not telling Lizzie. Now that she saw just how relieved he was, her own smile appeared and she nearly tackled Lizzie with a hug. "Yeah, thanks, Aunt Lizzie!"

Lizzie laughed again. "Well, at least now I understand why James insisted on going to school with you to be sure you were safe."

Lyn blinked and looked at James this time. "Huh?"

James watched Lyn with an affectionate smile on his face then said, "Well, since that's taken care of, I should probably tell you my other idea..."

"The one where you take your stalking to a new level and follow me to school, too?" Lyn asked, half teasingly and half seriously.

James let out a nervous laugh. "Uh... Actually, yeah. Given the fact that someone already tried to kill you and your sister, I don't feel comfortable letting you go on your own."

"... What are you gonna do, sit in the back of all my classes?" Lyn asked dubiously.

"Uh... No, actually. I just enrolled in your classes..."

"... So you're gonna sit _beside_ me in all my classes," Lyn amended.

"Yeah..."

"... So help me, if you tell me next that you somehow got into my dorm room, too, I'm gonna report you to campus security."

"No, I'm in a nearby guy's dorm."

Lyn narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, at my old school there was a guy who followed me around all the time and I punched him in the face for it."

"I'm only trying to keep you safe. I can't -- won't let _anything_ happen to you."

Lyn's expression softened. "Okay, I guess I understand. But if you go with me, who's going to be here to make sure nothing happens to Jordan?"

"If she's in trouble, she can just call my name and I'll be there in seconds."

"So I get a stalker and she gets phone-a-friend?"

"If you wanna put it like that, then yes."

Lyn's eyes narrowed again as she pretended to evaluate him. "I _guess_ I could have gotten a worse stalker..."

"I'm flattered, truly," James said with a smirk.

"Hey, you should be," Lyn said, grinning. "I mean, I've had a lot of stalkers." She paused and blinked, looking thoughtful. "The scary part is that's not even an exaggeration. I mean, seriously. Five or six since I was like thirteen years old. It's kind of weird. But hey, maybe if you're stalking me, then other stalkers will decide stalking someone who already has a stalker would be too difficult."

"That's kinda creepy."

"Yeah, no kidding." She shrugged. "Apparently I attract psychos."

James considered that. "Or warlocks..."

Lyn blinked. "What?"

"Warlocks kill witches and steal their powers," James said slowly. "It's possible some of them have found you in the past and you never knew it because your powers were sealed."

"... Well, that's kind of unpleasant. But it would explain a lot."

"Which is why this is a good idea."

"Okay, okay, I'm through arguing," Lyn said with a sigh, sitting down on her bed and wrapping her arms around herself, looking mildly disturbed. "I guess it makes sense since there's so much I don't know yet..."

James, who by now had put the box down, went over and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her temple. She leaned against him and closed her eyes.

"... Is it always so totally overwhelming or does it get better someday?"

"It gets better, believe me. You'll learn to control it with practice."

Lyn was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "Control my powers, maybe... but nobody can control the world. And that's the scary part."


	8. Find out Who your Friends Are

As soon as they walked into the school, Jordan knew that she would lose her temper today, given the fact that three girls had already checked out and attempted to flirt with Drake. She clenched her jaw and glared at each one of them as they came up to him. Drake, for his part, politely waved them off, but it was still extremely infuriating.

"What's your first class?" he asked once he had gotten rid of the third girl.

"English," Jordan said, glaring at a fourth girl who came up and took Drake hand in her own, giving the girl a look that said, clear as day, 'Back off, he's with me.'

Drake shrugged off the girl's hand and pointed down the hallway so that he had an excuse to do so. "English classes are usually down there -- which room?"

"Room C207."

Drake blinked then abruptly grinned. "Really? Mrs. Penber? That's my room!"

"Really?" Jordan smiled widely. "At least I'll know _someone_."

This time, Drake's smile was less amused. "You'll know two people, actually."

Jordan smiled nervously. "What exactly do you mean...?"

"Tammy wanted to compare classes at the party," Drake said with the faintest of grimaces. "She's in my third period biology class, too."

"Third period bio? What room?" Jordan asked, grimacing.

"B120."

"I've got that class, too." She sighed as they reached her locker.

"Sorry," Drake said with a faint smile.

"It's okay. You'll be there." Jordan smiled and kissed him softly.

"Oh, hi!" said an overly perky voice as Tammy appeared out of nowhere, jerking Drake away by his arm so she could hug him. The action was so obviously intentional that she didn't even bother looking at Jordan to show it.

Jordan nearly fell over as Drake was jerked away from her. She channeled every technique she could thikn of to try and not bash Tammy's head on the lockers.

"Uh, hi," Drake said, plastering on that polite smile again.

"Come on, the bell's about to ring!" Tammy squealed, grabbing Drake's hand and starting to drag him toward the classroom. "We've got to hurry or we won't get two seats together!"

Drake just managed to catch hold of Jordan's hand and pull her with them, giving her an apologetic look over his shoulder.

Jordan gave him a strained smile and thought to herself, _Today's gonna suck._ She had no idea how much.

---

"I do not remember fitting this many boxes in the trunk of my car," Lyn said dubiously as she stood with the car parked and the trunk open outside the girls' dorms.

"Maybe they multiplied in your trunk?" James suggested, grabbing a few.

Lyn chuckled as she stacked a few more in her arms. "I had no idea boxes were so closely related to rabbits."

"Of course they are. Have you never been in Lizzie's attic? I swear, when I helped move her in, there were half the boxes that there are now."

They reached Lyn's dorm and, once they managed to get the door open, were met with Lyn's new roommate. Lyn dropped the boxes in her arms onto her bed.

"Steph?!" she half yelled in surprise.

A thin girl with straight, dark blonde hair and big blue eyes looked up from a laptop and shrieked, "Lyndi!" before jumping up and hugging her.

"I take it you two know each other?" James asked.

Lyn laughed as she hugged the girl back. "Yeah! James, this is Stephanie -- Steph, James. Now what are you doing here?!"

Stephanie laughed, too. "Well, Coby moved to Oregon for school -- you remember, that's why he changed his mind about asking you out? So I just decided I'd come out here, too!"

"Nice to meet you, Stephanie." James smiled at her.

"Oh, yeah, you too," Stephanie said with a grin. Then she gave Lyn a questioning look that only girls could interpret; Lyn rolled her eyes but nodded, grinning, and Stephanie erupted into giggles.

James laughed and said, "I'll finish getting the stuff out of the trunk." Then he walked out to get more boxes.

"You just moved and already you found a guy?!" Stephanie objected. "And a cute one, at that!"

Lyn laughed. "He's kind of a friend of my aunt's."

"Ooh, an older guy?!" Stephanie squealed.

Lyn considered that. She wasn't actually sure just how old James really was but he was definitely older than her. "Yeah, I guess you could say that."

---

"That was torture!" Jordan said as she slammed her locker closed at the end of the school day. It turned out that Jordan, Drake and Tammy all had almost exactly the same schedule, which meant she had had to deal with Tammy for the entire day.

"Sorry," Drake said, grimacing slightly. Somehow he made it look cute though. "Maybe it won't be as bad tomorrow."

"I hope so," Jordan said, leaning against his passenger side door lightly.

Drake smiled and kissed her softly, leaving his hand on her chin. "It will be. I promise."

---

_It was night but the moon was full and for once the skies were clear, showing thousands of tiny stars in the vast, dark sky. It was the sky above San Francisco; Lyn recognized it by now. She had missed it, tonight before she had gone to sleep._

_Of course, she was asleep. This was an interesting dream then. Usually she dreamt about home but tonight she saw the park not far from Lizzie's house stretching out before her eyes._

_She blinked when she saw the two figures sitting on the grass. Jordan and Drake? Why was she dreaming about them? Very odd._

_And then... Drake shouted, his eyes burning with fire. Actual fire. Lyn gasped and took a step back -- and then there was an energy ball in Drake's hand, the ferocity of a demon on his face, and he was throwing it toward Lyn. But no, not toward Lyn, because Jordan was between them..._

Lyn gasped as she sat straight up in bed, her heart pouding a mile a minute. She didn't pause to question it; if she was wrong, she was wrong, but if she wasn't...

"James!" she whispered, but her whisper was urgent, almost frantic, tinged with fear.

James's eyes shot open upon hearing Lyn's call and he got up at once, orbing to her. "What's the matter?!"

"Jordan!" Lyn gasped, her eyes wide and frightened. "I was asleep and I dreamt it and oh god, James, Drake is a demon!"

"What?! Are you sure?!" he whispered back, sitting down on her bed and wiping sweat-matted hair off her forehead.

"The moon's full tonight, isn't it?!" Lyn demanded, trying and failing to calm her breathing. "If I'm wrong, it's fine, I don't care, but if I'm not, if it's that kind of dream, they're in the park right now -- James, we have to go!"

"Okay, okay, let's go." He took her hand and orbed them to the park in San Francisco. As the orbs lit up the room, they also illuminated Stephanie's blue eyes, wide with shock.

---

Drake still stood with his eyes flaming when James and Lyn orbed into the park. Jordan was on her back on the ground, staring up at him with wide eyes. A spot in the grass right behind her was singed, still smoking.

"Get away from my sister!" Lyn snarled, breaking away from James's grip and lifting Jordan off the ground.

"Wait, no! Lyn, he wasn't gonna hurt me!" Jordan pushed her way out of Lyn's arms, landing on her knees and beginning to move toward Drake, but James caught her.

"He's a demon, Jordan!" Then to Drake, he added, "I don't want to see you near her again or I'll kill you."

"No, you don't understand!" Drake objected but Lyn interrupted with a snarl.

"I'm not killing you now because if you disappeared while out with Jordan, everyone would assume she did it. Next time, I don't care. If you see me again, it'll be the last thing you ever see."

"No! He was just trying to --"

But James had already taken Lyn's hand and orbed.

"You don't understand! If you'll just listen for one second, I'll explain!"

"Explain what, how Drake is a demon?!" Lyn half yelled now that they were safely back at Lizzie's.

"He might be but he saved my life!" Jordan yelled back, pushing James away from her. "And I love him! And he loves me! And I'm not going to not see him! I don't care if he's a demon!"

"Demons can't feel emotion," James said, shaking his head. "He's using you, don't you understand that?"

"I'll come back here and follow you around every day if that's what it takes," Lyn growled. "I'm not letting you get yourself killed by trusting a _demon_."

"I'm sixteen, I can make my own choices!" Jordan yelled, running toward the stairs and stomping up to her room, yelling, "Don't even think about following me!"

Lyn watched her go before adding quietly, "And you're my baby sister. I can't watch you die too."


	9. Secrets Unravelled

Back at the dorm, Stephanie was awaiting Lyn's return. Talking about demons and prophetic dreams and orbing around with whitelighters? Her powers had to be manifested now. So Stephanie turned onto her side, feigning sleep and tucking an athame under her pillow.

In a shower of orbs, two figures reappeared in the dorm. Lyn sighed heavily and leaned her forehead against James's chest. "Are you sure we should come back? Maybe we should stay; Lizzie can't watch her all the time..."

"If she leaves, I'll know; I'm monitoring her," James said soothingly, wrapping his arms around her.

Lyn nodded and hugged him. "Thank you... so much, James."

"Anytime," James said, smiling and kissing her. "Now I'll leave and let you get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow though, alright?"

"Yeah." Lyn forced a smile. "I'll try not to have any more prophetic dreams to interrupt your sleep either, deal?"

"Don't worry about it. I'm here to protect you, even if it's in the middle of the night. Even if it's a bad dream. Just call for me and I'll be there." He smiled and kissed her temple.

Lyn's smile was faint but real this time. "You really are an angel."

"It _is_ kinda my job, y'know."

"And you're good at it." Lyn smiled and kissed his chin. "Now go to bed before you fall over and break a wing or something, angel-boy."

"Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." With one last kiss, he orbed back to his own dorm.

As soon as he was gone, Stephanie's hand slipped under the pillow and gripped the athame. Sitting up slowly, she said, "So you already have a whitelighter, huh, Lyn?"

Lyn jumped at the voice then blinked her confusion. Had she said the word whitelighter? How could she know that? "I -- I don't know what you mean. You must have been dreaming."

"Don't play dumb. I've been waiting for this day for a long time, you know... So long that I got tired of waiting and killed your parents so their binding would cease. I mean, did you ever wonder what really happened to them?"

She got up, athame in hand, and walked toward Lyn, who was completely frozen and looking shell-shocked. "Wh...what...?"

"But now you've manifested your powers. It's about time, too. And now I'm going to rip those powers from you." Stephanie smiled slightly and moved closer to Lyn.

Lyn took a step back, retreating toward the door. She had to get out... she had to call James...

Stephanie rushed her, thrusting the knife at her chest. Lyn hit the ground and rolled, shifting to invisibility and moving slowly, slowly, trying to make no noise. She was screaming James's name in her head, unable to say it out loud because Stephanie was armed and blocking the door. But he was honed in on Jordan, trying to keep her safe. He wouldn't hear her unless she called with words, wouldn't sense her unless... unless Stephanie succeeded...

Stephanie huffed, looking around with the blade held out in front of her, slashing the air.

Lyn froze as she advanced, eyes wait, waiting... Then with a sudden movement, she kicked the athame from Stephanie's hand and sent it flying under the dresser, landing another kick to her abdomen and scrambling to her feet.

Stephanie kicked out in the direction of Lyn's last blow, landing a kick on her chest and moving to kick again, but this time she had already moved. "Show yourself, you coward!"

Lyn's anger got the best of her then and she tackled Stephanie to the ground, pummeling her with blows. "Coward?! Cowards kill innocent people in their homes! You're the coward!"

Stephanie groped for the athame, grunting at the impact of her back on the floor. Lyn grabbed her reaching arm and twisted it painfully. "Why?! Tell me why you killed my parents!"

Stephanie winced in pain then her lips twisted into a maniacal grin. "Because they were there."

"And Coby -- that was why Coby wanted to date me. He isn't even your brother, is he?"

She smirked. "Nope," she said, popping the 'p.'

Lyn's grip tightened, twisting further until the bone was a hair's breadth from cracking. "Why us?" she hissed through her teeth. "Why, out of all the people on this godforsaken planet, did you come after us?!"

"I already said: you were there," she hissed.

Lyn trembled with rage. "You destroy people's lives because they happen to be in the same place as you?!"

Stephanie laughed. "I guess so."

And then... Lyn couldn't explain how it happened. The closest she could come to describing it was that her anger burned so hotly it actually burned out of her body, becoming fire and setting the warlock she had pinned to the ground ablaze.

Stephanie screamed as she burned, finally becoming one with the flame and disappearing like smoke. Lyn turned her palms shakily toward her and looked at them, trying to understand what had just happened. It was a dream, it had to be. Stephanie was a warlock and Lyn was making fire from her hands? It hadn't happened. It couldn't. She was dreaming, just dreaming, some horrible, twisted dream.

_Even if it's a bad dream... Just call me and I'll be there._

Feeling like just the act of speaking was about to make the world come crashing in around her but needing someone to tell her it was okay, Lyn whispered shakily, "James...?"

James was pulled from sleep at the sound of Lyn's voice and immediately orbed. The look on her face immediately set off alarms. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"... I... I think... I think I'm going crazy," Lyn choked out at last.

James pulled her into his arms. "What happened?" he whispered.

"... I... Is... Where is Stephanie...?"

"I don't know -- what happened, Lyn?" James asked, his hands on her cheeks to turn her face in his direction so he could look into her eyes, searching for an answer. Lyn's eyes were blank and completely void of answers though. At least, until she hid her face against his chest and started sobbing.

"Oh, god, I killed her!"

"You... What? What do you mean?" He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on the top of her head. She was almost certainly dreaming, after all. He knew Lyn had horrible nightmares.

"When you brought me back, she had an athame and I killed her!" Lyn sobbed.

"She was a warlock? Then if she attacked you, you were defending yourself."

"But I set her on fire!"

"Wait, what? How?"

"I don't know!" Lyn said frantically, pulling away from him and walking around the room in erratic circles. "She was talking to me and saying -- saying things and I don't know, I don't know..."

"Hey, calm down. Just breathe. Now, when you set her on fire, was there anything flammable? Any logical explanation for how it could have happened?"

"I kicked away the athame," Lyn remembered, trying to keep her voice from rising into hysterics. "She kicked me but I pinned her down. I had her arm -- I was twisting it, trying -- trying to make her answer me -- and then she caught on fire."

"Okay. Let's go to Lizzie. Witches' powers are her thing. She'll know what to do. Okay with you?"

Lyn shook her head vehemently. "No. No, I don't want to go."

"Okay. Let's just stay here for now, then." He smiled softly and brushed her hair out of her face. "It's gonna be okay. We'll figure this out."

Lyn trembled. It started out as a shudder at a thought but then it wouldn't stop. "... James, wh... what if I'm evil too?"

"Hey, look at me. You are not, nor will you ever be, evil. Maybe you have another power that's shown itself. I don't know. But I do know for a fact that you are _not_ evil. You hear me?"

"How? How can you possibly know that?"

"Because I know you."

"You've known me for a month. I've known me for years but I didn't know any of this."

"If you don't want to be evil, then you aren't."

"... Have you ever known a good person who burned people alive?"

"Stephanie wasn't a _person_, she was a warlock. And you did it to save your life. If you hadn't killed her, she would have kept trying to kill you."

"... That wasn't why..."

"Why, then?"

Lyn swallowed hard. "I was angry. I was... I was so angry..."

"Why?"

"... She... she said she..." This time, thinking the words brought pain instead of anger. It was all her fault. James hated to see the pain in her eyes and his own expression turned into one of sadness. He waited, though; she would finish the sentence when she was ready. "... She killed my parents."

James was stunned into silence for a long moment then pulled her into his chest. "I'm sorry."

"She said she was tired of waiting for them to lift the binding on my powers themselves," Lyn went on miserably, her voice soft and flat. "She killed them because she was tired of waiting."

"That isn't your fault," he said as if reading her mind.

"Yes, it is. If it wasn't for me, they would still be alive."

James sighed. "That's exactly how I felt, too. But then I realized it's the fault of the one who did it to my parents. And it's the same with you."

"... Then why do I feel like I might as well have killed them myself?"

"Because that's what comes with grief. I went through it, you'll go through it... but you'll come out stronger."

"... I don't feel very strong."

"Of course you don't. But you will."

Lyn closed her eyes and hid her face against his chest. "... We can go to Lizzie's in the morning... Can we just stay here for now?"

"Yeah, come on. You have to get some sleep." He led her to the bed but she didn't let go of him.

"I don't want to be alone. Please stay."

"Alright." And so he climbed in bed with her, holding her in his arms, stroking her hair softly.

Lyn laid her head on his chest and swallowed hard. "I'm sorry for freaking out. I just... It's a little scary to think people I've known for years have really been waiting to kill me this whole time."

"Don't apologize. You have every right to be upset."

"... James... I know you think I'm not evil but... could you please just promise me... you won't ever let me become anything like that?"

"I won't let it happen. I swear."

Lyn nodded and hugged him before closing her eyes. She didn't actually sleep though. She felt safe in James's arms but Stephanie being a warlock had really shaken her and she had no idea how she was supposed to get over the fact that just about anyone could be an enemy.

This very long night had definitely proven that.


	10. Admissions

Life for Jordan had become gray after finding out about Drake. Why hadn't he told her? Was he just using her to kill her or Lyn? Questions ran through her mind continuously as she avoided his eyes, fully aware that Tammy was taking advantage of their unofficial break-up and was currently hanging all over him.

The bell finally rang and she got up as quickly as she could, rushing out of the class to find her locker, all the while trying not to cry.

"... I'm sorry I didn't tell you," Drake's voice said softly from right beside her locker. How had he gotten there so quickly? Probably didn't matter anyway...

Jordan clenched her teeth and tried not to simply throw herself into his arms. Where did that insane urge keep coming from? He was a _demon_!

"That's not really the problem now, is it?" she asked, looking over at him as she closed her locker and began to walk away toward the entrance.

Drake's eyes showed his conflict as he seemed to argue with himself over what to do. Finally, he darted forward and grabbed her elbow. "Jordan, I had a reason and it had nothing to do with trying to hurt you or anyone else. I'll tell you if you'll listen."

"Fine. Go ahead and tell me why."

Drake looked around the hallway and bit his lip. "Will you at least come in the janitor's office with me so nobody overhears us and thinks we're insane?"

Jordan thought about that for a second. "Fine," she finally agreed, and so when they got there, she put her books down and turned to him.

"Go ahead."

Drake sighed. "Well, the first thing you need to know is I'm not a demon."

Jordan huffed a laugh. "So I was hallucinating?"

"No, let me finish," Drake said, holding up a hand placatingly. "_I'm_ not a demon. My _father_ is."

Jordan nodded, indicating that he should go on.

"So obviously, I'm only half," Drake continued. "That's how your aunt knows my mother - she's perfectly human. She doesn't know you and Lizzie are witches but my father does. He..." Drake flinched. "Well, he doesn't approve, to say the least. That's why my parents had to be out of town for me to go out with you."

Jordan shook her head. "Why go to the trouble? This is causing everyone grief. Especially you."

Drake shrugged and looked away. "Maybe I thought it was worth it." He closed his eyes tightly. "But it's not."

Jordan sucked in a breath and tears welled up in her eyes. She bit her lip and shook her head slightly, going to grab her book. "Then that's it? It was never worth it, huh?" Two tears fell from her eyes as she turned and opened the door.

Drake watched her and his hands shook; finally he put one on her shoulder to stop her from leaving. "No," he said quietly, swallowing hard. "That's not... Well, it _is_ how I meant it to sound, but only because... Look, Jordan..."

His eyes burned as he turned her chin toward him. "I knew the demon who attacked you that night. He worked for my father. He was trying to have you killed."

"Then maybe we just aren't meant to be." Jordan wiped the tears from her face and tried to smile but ended up making more tears fall.

"Don't cry," Drake whispered, brushing them away with his thumb. "I was going to act like I just changed my mind so you would hate me but I can't stand seeing you cry."

"I know that if we're together, both of us are in danger, but I can't stand to be away from you." Jordan dropped her books and buried her face in his chest.

Drake swallowed hard but wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly. "But it's not both of us," he said quietly. "Not really. My father will be angry with me but he won't kill me. But he _will_ do his damnedest to kill you."

Jordan pulled back slightly and looked up at him. "You heard what Lyn and James said. They're overprotective and will definitely have the go ahead from my aunt."

Drake rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry but I highly doubt your sister can kill me with invisibility or premonitions. And what can the whitelighter do? Heal me to death?"

Jordan sighed. "My aunt is close with the Halliwells. If she asked them, they would go after you." She looked up at him sadly, pulling back and turning to face away from him. "They won't stop to listen to reason."

"If I get you killed, I hope they don't," Drake said matter-of-factly.

Jordan shook her head, leaning against the wall. "What are we gonna do?"

"... It would be safest... if you just forgot you met me."

"It _would _ be safest. But screw being safe."

Drake frowned, brushing a strand of hair back from her face. "... If you get hurt..."

"I know the risk. But I want you."

"... Why? Shouldn't you hate me on principle?"

"I should. But I don't." Jordan walked up to him and stood up on her toes to kiss him. Drake wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer for a moment before breaking the kiss.

"... You know we can't let anyone else find out, then..."

Jordan wrapped her arms round his neck and nodded. "We'll have to be careful..."

Drake winced and attempted to crack a smile. "You know, not being able to admit we're together in public is going to make it really hard to get rid of Tammy."

Jordan huffed and bit her lip. "As long as I know that, at the end of the day, I'm with you, I'll be fine." She smiled slightly.

Drake raised an eyebrow. "At the end of the day? All day, whether anyone else knows it or not. I'll figure out a way to get rid of her, don't worry."

Jordan's smile widened and she kissed him again. Upon pulling back, she said, "You know, I really do hate her..."

Drake chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I know. I'll take care of it."

James woke up the next morning to find Lyn still in his arms and smiled. He glanced at the clock on the bedside table, which read 10:45, and gently shook her awake.

"Mm?" Lyn murmured, blinking at the light. "James? S'm'thin' wrong...?"

"Nope, but it's 10:45."

"... Oh," she said slowly, her expression darkening as she remembered the night before. "Right..."

"You want to go over to Lizzie's or just stay here for a little bit?" James asked, kissing her forehead and brushing her hair away from her face.

Lyn sighed. "I guess we should go... Jordan'll be at school and I want to tell Lizzie about this first."

"Alright," James said, helping her into a standing position and orbing to Lizzie's house.

Lizzie blinked upon seeing them. "Should I be concerned that you're both wearing the same clothes as last night?"

"Last night we had a... situation. Lyn's roommate was a warlock," James informed her.

Lizzie's blue eyes widened. "What?!"

"Yeah," Lyn said quietly. "And I _knew her_. From home. I went to school with her."

"She attacked her in the middle of the night last night after we got back to the dorm. Lyn defended herself and..." James broke off and looked for Lyn to continue.

Lyn's head span for a second, trying to figure out which crucial piece of information to divulge first. Finally she decided Lizzie needed to know the truth first. "... Aunt Lizzie, Stephanie was the one who killed Mom and Dad. Because she got tired of waiting for them to unbind my powers."

James sighed. "And when she found out that Lyn's powers manifested, she came here."

Lizzie gripped the back of one of the kitchen chairs hard until her knuckles turned white, just like her face. "Wh-what? That... That can't be possible; there were no athame wounds. If it was a warlock, there would have been athame wounds."

"Only if the warlock wanted _their_ powers," James said quietly. "If that wasn't what she was after..."

"She just wanted the spell broken," Lyn said, trying not to sound as miserable as she felt. "They... wouldn't lift it themselves, so..."

James wrapped an arm around Lyn and kissed her temple, hating to see her so sad.

"... No... No, it's not your fault," Lizzie said, attempting a smile but unable to completely subdue the shock on her face. "But tell me, do you have anything of hers we could use to track her down? If she's left to wander, she could try something again..."

"Uh... About that," James said, side-glancing at Lyn. "She's dead."

The confusion, at least, successfully cleared all other emotion from Lizzie's face. "What? How?"

"That's the other thing I needed to talk to you about," Lyn said slowly, not meeting Lizzie's gaze. "I... I don't really know what happened. She was taunting me about Mom and Dad and - and I was so angry and it just happened..."

Lizzie tried to speak soothingly. "What happened, dear?"

Lyn actually trembled as she blurted out, "I lit her on fire!"

"I've never heard anything like it before," James said, brow wrinkled.

Lizzie looked alarmed. "The only witches who can do that are firestarters. You can't be a firestarter. Firestarters only ever have that one power and they're first-generation witches. Always."

James looked worried. "Are you sure? Is there anything else you can think of?"

"Why are you asking me?" Lizzie asked, frowning but visibly shifting into take-charge mode. "Go see your Elders and ask what _they_ know; they're far older and wiser. And it can't hurt to cover all our bases... While you're gone, Lyn and I will pay a visit to Piper, Phoebe, and Paige."

James nodded and, with a kiss to Lyn's temple, orbed away.


	11. A Power Reborn

"This place looks old," Lyn observed as Lizzie pulled her car to a stop in front of Halliwell Manor. It didn't exactly come out the way she had meant to say it but she was having a little trouble focusing right now. For obvious reasons like seeming to have an impossible power.

"It's an ancestral house," Lizzie agreed gently as they got out of the car. "The Halliwells have always been powerful witches. They will know what to do."

Lyn swallowed hard at her aunt's choice of phrase. Do? Like she was a threat?

A few seconds after Lizzie knocked on the door, Phoebe answered it. "Oh, hey, Lizzie! And Lyn! What brings you two here? Come on in."

"Are your sisters home?" Lizzie asked, which was quickly answered by Piper looking in from the kitchen.

"Lyn? I thought you went to school!"

"I did," Lyn said, again failing at trying not to sound miserable.

Heading off the question she could see forming on Piper's face, Lizzie explained, "Lyn's roommate was someone she knew from Pierce who also turned out to be a warlock."

"Oh, no! Did she attack you? Are you hurt?" Phoebe asked quickly. Without waiting for an answer, she yelled, "Paige! Get down here!"

A second later, Paige orbed in beside her, looking alert. "What's the matter?"

"No, I'm fine," Lyn said quickly. Then, realizing the dishonesty of that statement, she amended, "I mean, I'm not hurt."

"That's not why we came," Lizzie explained, her voice not as chipper as usual. "Lyn killed the warlock."

"Well, that's good, right?" Phoebe said, looking confused about the problem. "At least it won't get the chance to hurt you."

Piper caught on quicker, her brow furrowing. "I thought your only powers were premonition and invisibility?"

Lyn sighed, sounding very tired and bordering on helpless. "So did I."

Lizzie patted her niece's shoulder reassuringly and explained, "Lyn had... an unusual experience. She seems to have somehow managed to vanquish the warlock by setting it on fire."

"But so far as I know, only firestarters have that power," Paige said, confused.

Piper was oddly silent, her eyes suddenly more intense as they watched Lyn closely. Almost suspiciously, Lyn thought with a shudder as she unknowingly edged closer to Lizzie.

"But she can't be a firestarter," Phoebe was saying. "Firestarters, well, start fires. And that's all they do. They can't go invisible or see the future."

"But maybe it is," Paige said, watching Lyn closely.

"Wh-why are you all looking at me like that?" Lyn asked, feeling distinctly uncomfortable beneath the gaze of three powerful witches.

"... She could be half demon, like Cole," Phoebe said, intoning the name like a curse, her eyes narrowing as she spoke. "It would explain why her mother moved off to the middle of nowhere to get married."

"It's possible," said Piper, but she didn't sound convinced. "But there's something else we haven't considered yet. Lyn, what did it look like when you used this power?"

"I - I don't know," Lyn said. "I just - I mean, Stephanie - she was one of my best friends and I - I don't know, she said... She said some horrible things and I felt really hot and then she was on fire."

"Before she caught on fire," Piper prodded. "Did the fire start on her or was it somewhere else first?"

Phoebe frowned. "What are you getting at?"

"Just let her answer the question. Think carefully."

Lyn swallowed hard. She didn't _want_ to think carefully; she wanted to forget it. "I... I had her in an armbar. It was stupid of her to fight me, really. I'm a ranked sport fighter, she knows - _knew_ that. And she was talking about - about stuff, and I twisted her arm to make her answer me. Then there was fire." She almost literally jumped as she remembered. "It _wasn't_ on her at first. It was like... like a magma sphere or something. It was hot and I flinched back and then it caught her on fire."

Piper drew a long breath. "That's not firestarting. It's pyrokinesis and I've only ever seen it once. Christy."

Phoebe thought about that for a moment then looked confused. "Doesn't Jordan have telekinesis?"

Paige's eyes widened. "Billie and Christy."

"Yes," Lizzie said slowly. "Why? And who are Billie and Christy?"

"How long ago was it that your sister and her husband bound the girls' powers?" Piper asked sharply.

"Wh -"

"It's important, Lizzie. Just answer."

Lizzie considered, frowning slightly. "Jordan was around two so Lyn would have been six or seven..."

"So about twelve years ago," Piper breathed. "Right around the same time Christy died."

"Piper. You can't be thinking what I think you're thinking," Phoebe said quietly. "It can't be them."

"Why can't it?" Piper responded just as quietly, not taking her eyes off of Lyn. "It's not like the Power of Three - it's not specific to a certain family. If it didn't work its purpose with Billie and Christy, why wouldn't it pass on to a different pair of powerful witch sisters?"

"What is 'it'?" Lyn finally asked upon finding her voice. "What are you talking about?"

"The Ultimate Power," Phoebe said, unbelieving.

Lyn stared then finally blinked and said, "Wait, come again?"

"Paige, why don't you get Billie?" Piper suggested. "She should be here if we're right. Lizzie, where is Jordan?"

"In school," Lizzie said a little blankly.

"Paige will orb you there next so you can get her, too," Piper said firmly.

"Yeah, I'm on it." And with that, Paige orbed.

"Will somebody tell me what the freaking heck you're talking about?" Lyn asked, getting annoyed now at her own lack of understanding.

Just then, James orbed down, looking grave. "The elders want to see you."

Lyn balked. "What?!"

"They think they can just barge into my house?" Piper growled.

"I'm sorry. They insist," James said apologetically.

Lyn's head was spinning. If possible, this whole thing was getting even more confusing than finding out she was a witch. "Okay, somebody tell me what the freaking heck is going on _right now_ or I'm going to start breaking things and will not be limited by what is and isn't someone's bones!"

"Okay, the Ultimate Power," Phoebe began but was cut off by Paige orbing back with Billie, Jordan, and... Drake?

Jordan was holding onto Drake's arm and glaring at Paige. Lyn was instantly distracted.

"You!" she snarled, stepping away from James and toward the newcomers. "I _told_ you!"

Jordan stepped in front of Drake and practically growled protectively. "Stay away from him!"

Paige stepped back from Drake quickly and prepared to defend herself against him at a moment's notice. Phoebe did the same, stepping toward Piper and taking on a slight defensive stance.

"He's a _demon_, Jordan!" Lyn snapped, her eyes flashing fire, though thankfully none actually manifested itself.

"Don't worry about it," James growled, his own eyes narrowing. "The elders will fry him."

"The—_elders_ are coming?" Drake repeated, and something akin to fear leapt into his eyes.

"Who?" Jordan asked, looking confused and a little worried. She had never seen Drake look frightened before.

"The oldest whitelighters," Drake said, taking a step back. "The most powerful. They can throw lightning; I shouldn't be here."

Jordan didn't let go of his arm. "But you have to explain—"

"They won't listen!" Drake emphasized, pulling free from her grip. A trace of regret entered into his eyes. "Later. I'm sorry."

Suddenly, in a burst of flame, he was gone.

"What did you do?!" Jordan demanded, whirling on the Halliwells.

"Nothing—that's how _demons_ get around," Piper growled. "Would you mind explaining why you brought one into my house? Paige?"

"She wouldn't let go of him," Paige objected.

"I can explain," Jordan began, but just then three bursts of white light and a disapproving hiss from Piper announced the arrival of the elders.


	12. Unannounced Visitors

"Are these two the witches in question?" a tall blonde woman asked, looking down a rather long nose at Lyn and Jordan.

"Yes, Delia," James reported with a curt nod.

"Good," said the second elder, an older man with a beard. "James, Paige—hold them still."

Paige acquired a look that plainly asked when she became their slave, but James blinked and slowly reached for Lyn's arm. "Why…?"

"The Elumo sisters have eluded us for some time," Delia said firmly, her gray eyes as cold as her voice. "Terence and Crystal bartered their freedom the last time by binding their daughters' powers. Obviously, that was not enough."

This time, James stepped halfway in front of Lyn. It was hard to miss the trepidation in his eyes, and there was a cautionary tone in Piper's voice too as she asked, "What are you saying?"

The third elder, a young black man, fixed his eyes on Piper's. Both his gaze and his words were cold. "You know as well as we what happened the last time power of this magnitude was allowed to be left in the hands of a pair of teenage girls."

"What _almost_ happened," Phoebe corrected, her eyes narrowing. "Billie _stopped_ Christy, and she used that power to do it."

"A happy turn of chance," the older man said quietly, "but that was only after she nearly helped her sister destroy everything good in the world."

"So—so what, you're saying we're evil?" Lyn asked, visibly struggling to follow what was going on.

"You're not evil any more than I am," Billie said, her glare fixed on Delia. "You can't judge these girls based on Christy. My sister was brainwashed by demons."

Lyn and James visibly shot looks at Jordan, but thankfully the elders were busy frowning at Billie and didn't seem to notice. "And what do you think should be done?" Delia queried. "Nothing at all?"

"Of course nothing needs to be done," Billie snapped. "I still have my powers, and I haven't destroyed the world yet."

"What you are suggesting is quite literally playing with fire!" the younger man raged.

"Nicodemus," Delia said in a calm voice that she clearly intended for him to copy. Then she returned her gaze to Lyn and Jordan. "Which of you is it that manifested fire?"

"Manifested fire?" Jordan repeated, shooting a look at her sister. "You have _another_ power?"

"Which she used to vanquish a warlock," James pointed out, his eyes almost pleading with Delia to understand.

"_Vanquish_ a—what?" Jordan gasped, her eyes wide. "Lyn, you—you _killed_ someone?"

"Not 'someone,' a warlock who tried to kill her," Lizzie insisted.

Lyn's eyes met Jordan's miserably, and suddenly she looked as if she might have just traded places with Atlas and was trying to hold in place the weight of the world. "Not 'a warlock.' Stephanie."

"S-Stephanie?" Jordan echoed once more. "Ditzy blonde Stephanie? Who wanted to have your sweet sixteen at a water park in November?"

Tears threatened to form in Lyn's eyes, but she blinked them away, forcing herself to stare at the wall and nod tightly. James's chest ached with the desire to wrap his arms around her, but he suspected it would be a bad move to announce their relationship to the elders like that, especially right now.

"You can see the sympathies she already has for evil," Nicodemus growled.

"She has sympathy for someone who pretended to be her friend!" Lizzie snapped. All eyes turned to her; it was the first time any of them had heard her take on an angry tone, the first time she had let that façade of perpetual giddiness slip. "Someone who was allowed to do so because you _fools_ agreed with my sister's plan to keep both of these girls completely in the dark about who and what they are! They had no way of knowing what was out there, no idea just how careful they should have been! And then when they were sent here—_I_ didn't even know! How was I supposed to protect them!?"

"I did wonder how they managed to need a whitelighter already," James admitted, a crease between his brows. "Most new witches just have a familiar for the first year or so, even longer if they don't manage to make powerful enough enemies."

"These two have _had_ powerful evil after them from the day the younger one was born," Delia said matter-of-factly. "Piper, imagine the scores of demons who tried to corrupt your oldest son, only all they had to do was get to _one_ of your boys to destroy everything. And they _would_ destroy everything. Nothing we know would continue to be."

"So what do you propose?" Lizzie hissed, her pale blue eyes as cold as ice. "You want to kill two innocents because they have the _potential_ to be deadly? In that case, you had best kill me too, because I have a lot more practice at it."

Lyn's and Jordan's eyes were both wide, neither knowing how to react to their aunt's sudden change in demeanor. Her attitude was completely changed, and her bright clothes seemed abruptly to be not serious enough for her. How was it possible the woman who had cooed and giggled with them over clothes and boys could be the deadly witch she was now presenting herself to be?

"No one ever suggested the two be killed," Delia said, a genuine look of surprise in her eyes. James relaxed beside Lyn for a split second, only to tense up once more the elder concluded, "It has merely become obvious that the only way to control the situation is to strip both of their powers."

"S-strip?" Jordan asked, finding her voice somewhere behind the lump lodged in her throat. Her eyes turned to Lizzie, then James, both of whom looked horrified at the suggestion. "What—what does that mean?"

"They want to take away your powers permanently," James said in a low voice, seeming to speak through his teeth as he kept his position firmly half in front of Lyn, as if expecting to have to block an attack at any moment. "Your magic, your spellweaving, your dreams—all because they're afraid."

"What!?" Jordan cried, her eyes going wide. "But that's not fair!"

"About as fair as having your arms removed because you have the _potential_ to strangle someone," Lizzie agreed, her jaw set.

Lyn, however, didn't seem quite so outraged. Her brows were furrowed, but she seemed more thoughtful than angry as she looked at James and asked slowly, "So they want to take our magic? All of it, the part we can control and the part we can't?"

James's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. "Yes."

"… Would… they stop coming after us, then?" As soon as the words were out of Lyn's mouth, complete silence fell as all eyes turned to her. Swallowing hard, she amended, "The evil things, I mean. The demons and warlocks and whatever else is out there. Would they… go away?"

"They would have no reason to hunt you anymore," Nicodemus said in an assuring voice.

"Don't lie to her!" James snapped, and he looked at Lyn imploringly. "Maybe they wouldn't have _reason_ to, but that doesn't mean they wouldn't! They might assume your powers were just bound again, and start murdering the people around you trying to get them released—they might not even care, and just want to be able to say they killed you themselves!"

"That's highly unlikely," Delia said gently. "The girls have done nothing to provoke—"

"I didn't provoke the demon who climbed in my window and threw fire at me while I was sleeping, but he still did it!" Jordan yelled, then grabbed her sister's arm and shook it. "Lyn, you can't seriously be thinking this!"

"I'm thinking…" Lyn met her sister's gaze, and there was something about her eyes that was different. They had looked emotionless before, even pained and sorrowful, but now… now they made her look almost broken. "Jordan, I'm thinking, what is it to lose? We didn't even know until we came here that we _had_ powers. And I don't know, call me crazy, I'd rather _not_ have known that people I grew up with, people I loved, had just been waiting around to kill me."

"You're insane!" Jordan objected, putting her hands on Lyn's shoulders and resisting the urge to shake her. "You have to be—think about what you're saying! Would you volunteer to have your eyes gouged out to keep you from seeing bad things, too?"

Lyn swallowed hard, then looked back at the elders. "… If you did it… would we… remember? Everything that's happened to us since our parents—since our magic came unbound?"

"You wouldn't have to," the old man said in a soothing voice. "We have memory dust that could wipe or alter what you remembered—"

"I don't fucking want to forget!" Jordan screamed at the top of her lungs, her heart racing. So many good things had happened since she had come here—getting to know Lizzie, Lyn healing after their parents' death, meeting Drake. How could they suggest that should all just be wiped away!?

Lyn slid her arm gently from her sister's grip, her eyes on the floor. She couldn't meet anyone's gaze, couldn't see the judgment in them, but she couldn't pretend to be strong any longer, either. "… I do."

Delia stepped toward her, a sympathetic expression on her face. "And you can, dear. We can take away the pain and any reason anyone might have to try to hurt you again."

"Leave her alone!" Jordan snapped, advancing on the elder like she might hit her. "She's just upset, she doesn't even know what she's saying!"

"I do," Lyn repeated, looking up at last. The green of her eyes was suddenly so vivid, set off by the tears they were swimming in. "I've tried to protect you, Jordan. I've tried, but I can't be that person. I can't make myself so much better than I really am. I just don't want to do this anymore."

Jordan opened her mouth to speak, but Lizzie suddenly overrode it. "Give them a day," she said abruptly, her voice suddenly so level that even Delia looked at her in surprise.

"A day," Lizzie repeated. "Let them think. Talk about it. You know it would take an army of whitelighters to restrain them for the power-stripping spell if they don't want it. Let them decide if they can both live with the consequences. Maybe Lyn will talk Jordan into it."

But the look she shot James out of the corner of her eye said that he had better damn well talk some sense into Lyn.

Delia pursed her lips. "Very well. It will take at least that long to prepare the stripping potions, anyway. You have until sunset tomorrow; then we will return for your decision."


End file.
